Betrayed By Love
by Imagination Goddess
Summary: Rose is thrown into another whirlwind of events, with a pregnant Lissa, a sarcastic Christian, a smartass Adrian and an ever-lovable Dimitri by her side. Lissa goes missing. Rose and the guardians set out to find her. Warning: Strong language.Discontinued
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own most of the characters. They belong to Richelle Mead. **

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A knock at my door woke me from my sleep. Unfortunately it was one of the only times I'd dreamed without Adrian poking his nose around in it. He seemed fascinated in me for some reason that I couldn't figure out. When I asked him once, he told me it was because of my sexy body, but I don't think it's that. Well, maybe not just that.

When I reached the door and looked through the peephole, I cursed under my breath.

Adrian.

"I know you're there, Rose," he said. "Open up."

I didn't make any sound. I didn't even breath, trying to call his bluff. I stole another glance out into the hallway. He looked fine to me. He held the usual bottle of beer in his left hand, and tapped his foot impatiently.

"If you don't open the door, I'll just have to cause a ruckus until you do," he warned.

Again, I didn't move. He couldn't possibly know I was here. Suddenly he started shouting at the top of his lungs.

"Rose Hathaway loves Dim-"

I opened the door and yanked him in before he could finish. For obvious reasons, I didn't want it spread around, and from the smirk on his face I could tell he knew that. I looked out in the hallway again, and saw the person across the hall come out and look down the hall confused. When he went back into his room, I turned to Adrian.

"You idiot!" I said, furiously. "It's the middle of the night!"

He shrugged and smiled. "Just trying to keep things interesting."

"Next time you can keep things interesting in the middle of the day."

He smelled heavily of alcohol. Great he'd been drinking for a while

"You look sexy when you just wake up," he told me, his head cocked to the side.

I looked down. I was wearing a tank top, and oversized pyjama pants. Far from sexy in my opinion, but whatever floats his boat.

"What do you want Adrian?"

He ignored my question and continued on. "The pants that hang low on your hips. The tank top that shows your perfectly flat stomach." He walked closer. "The sex hair."

I shoved him back. "Don't start with me, Adrian. We both know who would win a fight if it started and I don't feel like breaking anything right now." Then, as an afterthought, "But I will."

"Relax," he said, throwing his hands in the air and backing up. A little. "Lissa sent me to get you."

"What were you doing in her room in the middle of the night?" I asked, fuming.

"Oh you know, this and that," he said, waving it away. "That's beyond the point. The point is that she wants to talk to you. But I'm sure she could wait a little longer if you wanted to stay with me…"

"Shut-up, Adrian. But why did she send you? Why didn't she come herself?" I asked already grabbing more appropriate clothes to change into.

"Your boyfriend's stationed outside, ready to keep her in, and others out."

"How did you get out then?" And more importantly, how was I supposed to get in?

He sprawled out on the bed. "I wasn't actually there."

I threw one of my shoes at him, which he managed to duck just in time. "It's one thing for you to be snooping around in my dreams, but I refuse to have you snooping around in Lissa's. And if I hear you've been in her head again, I'll snap your neck."

He chuckled, as I slid into the bathroom to change.

"Oh yeah," he shouted from the bed. "She told me to tell you that she's a floor up and two rooms to the right of you. Sounds to me like you're going to have to scale the building."

He was right. And I was in no mood to scale any buildings today. I was in a hurry. Who knows how long it took Adrian to get this message to me. He was in Lissa's dreams, so he hadn't been drinking then, but he reeked of beer now.

I threw the door open, and in my rush, ran right into Adrian. His hands fell to my waist and rubbed them roughly.

"Please stay with me, Rose," he said, words slurring together.

I can only imagine how much alcohol it took for Adrian to get this drunk.

I shoved him again, but this time he didn't give up so easily. He pushed me onto the bed, and pinned me there. He weighed more than I did, and I was badly positioned to get him off.

"Come on, Rose! I just want one little kiss."

"Fuck you!"

He moved to kiss me, giving me the leverage I needed to flip him off, onto the floor. He hit it hard, and I tied his hands and legs together, so he wouldn't hurt anyone else in his state.

I looked at his pathetic body laying there, and shook my head. He was usually better in control than this. What could have upset him?

I didn't have time to think about it. Instead, I opened the back door, and went out onto the balcony. I climbed onto the railing, and jumped to reach the balcony above me. I hauled myself up and jumped over two more to the right.

I knocked softly on the door. "Lissa? Are you there?"

The door opened and she pulled me in, motioning for me to stay quiet. She pointed to the door. I nodded. Adrian had told me Dimitri was outside.

What took you so long? she mouthed.

I rolled my eyes. Adrian, I mouthed back.

She picked up the complimentary notepad that was sitting on the desk and stared at it for a long time.

Is everything okay? I mouthed at her.

She glanced up meekly and blushed a deep red. She held out the notepad. I noticed her hands were shaking. I reached out and took it.

There were a lot written on the page, although most of it was crossed out. Finally, I reached the part she obviously wanted me to read.

It said: _I'm pregnant. _

_

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_**A/N - I'm hoping to incorporate some action and Rose/Dimitri romance into this story. I don't want it to be a sappy pregnancy story. In fact, it should only be a small part of the story. So if the pregnancy thing isn't your style, no worries. It shouldn't stay that way for long.**

**Thanks for reading! Please review with compliments/helpful suggestions/positive critisism.  
**


	2. Chapter 2

"You're what?!" I screeched.

The door burst open and Dimitri froze, staring at me with a look of pure exasperation.

"Rose!" Lissa groaned.

I grimaced. Oops.

Dimitri closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. "Rose. What are you doing here?"

"Lissa needed me," I told him simply.

"Couldn't it have waited until morning?"

"Well I'm sure it wasn't this late when she asked Adrian to come and get me. He was drunk out of his mind by the time he got to me."

"Adrian's here too?" he growled looking around.

"No. He's in my room."

He sighed. "You let him in your room in the middle of the night? Adrian of all people?"

"He made a pretty convincing argument," I muttered. "But he won't be invading anyone else's space tonight."

He raised an eyebrow. "And how can you be so sure?"

"Tied him up."

Lissa giggled out of bewilderment. But it was Dimitri's reaction that pleased me the most. He let out a full blown grin, before he realized that he was still on the job. My heart fluttered in my chest, and I wanted to fall into his arms. Then he sobered up, but instead of scolding me, he changed the subject.

"What is this whole mess about?"

I looked at Lissa, who was mortified. "I can't tell you.'

He frowned. "Why not?"

"Not my story to tell. But, why don't you go for a walk or something, so Lissa and I can chat. Then maybe we'll tell you." I wanted to learn more about the topic myself, but I wouldn't dare ask any questions with Dimitri right there.

"You know I can't leave Lissa. I'm her guardian, remember?"

"Yes, and soon I will be too. She's safe with me and you know it. So if you could just mosey on along…" I said holding the door open for him.

He looked at me for what felt like a long time, until he finally nodded. "I'll give you ten minutes. Then I'm coming back, and anything left unsaid can wait until morning."

He walked smoothly out the door, leaving me breathless in the trail of his scent. I must have stood like that for too long, because Lissa called my name. I snapped out of my trace, closed the door and rushed over to the bed where Lissa sat.

"What happened?" I asked her.

She pulled up her knees, and wrapped her arms around them. She shook her head.

"You weren't protected?" I asked, a little embarrassed, but I knew this wasn't nearly as embarrassing for me as it was for Lissa.

"We thought we were. Christian was using a condom. I don't know what happened."

"Well maybe the test was faulty," I said pulling her to the bathroom. "Maybe you read it wrong."

When I reached the bathroom, I saw at least ten pregnancy tests in the sink.

"All of them?" she whispered.

I didn't know what to say. Was there anything I could say that would make her feel better?

"Does Christian know?"

She shook her head. She looked as if she was about to cry, and frankly I couldn't blame her. I sat her down on the bed, and put a comforting arm around her.

After a moment I spoke again. "Did you tell Adrian?"

"I didn't mean to. He came into my dream and it was like he knew. He wore that cocky smile he always has on. But he knows."

How did that boy manage to know everything about everyone? It was uncanny the way he could tell your darkest secrets just by looking at you. Normally he wouldn't tell anyone anything. But when he was this drunk? Who knew what he would do.

"I'm sorry, Lissa," I said, and pulled her into a hug.

She burst into tears, and I just let her cry. There was nothing I could do, and crying always makes me feel better. Just then, Dimitri came back in.

"Okay, times-" he started, but stopped when I glared at him, and he saw Lissa crying.

"I'll just wait outside," he murmured softly. "Call me if you need me."

I let Lissa cry herself out. She fell asleep with her head on my shoulder, so I laid her down and pulled the blankets over her. She needed to rest. I'd be ready to talk with her if she needed it in the morning, after we both had a good nights sleep.

Dimitri was waiting out in the hall, leaning against the wall outside her room reading a western book of some sort. He closed the book when the door opened.

He cleared his throat. "Is everything alright?"

I shrugged. "Not really."

He nodded. His eyes didn't leave my face, as if he could figure out what was wrong just by staring at me. But he wasn't that good. His face looked pained too for some reason. He wrapped his arms around me. I reached up and put my arms around his neck.

"Roza, I wish I could make this better," he whispered in my ear.

"I know. But there's nothing anyone can do now," I said. "It's too late."

"Are you sure you can't tell me? I don't like seeing Lissa sad. And I hate seeing you upset!"

"I'm sure. If Lissa decides to tell people, you'll be the first person to know. I promise."

He kissed me on the head, and gave me one last hug before I left for my room.

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**A/N - I'm hoping to make the chapters longer from now on, but I can't promise anything. **

**Tell me what you think! Thanks for reading.  
**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N - Thank you everyone who reviewed! I'm hoping to answer a few questions people might have in this chapter.**

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I woke up at about six in the morning out of habit, feeling a little sluggish. I didn't want to have to get up and face the day. For once, I just wanted to hide under my covers and forget the world.

When I came back to my room last night, Adrian was gone, and I'm sure it was Dimitri who got rid of him last night. As much of a pain as Adrian can be, I hope Dimitri wasn't too hard on him. He'll get his punishment in his hangover this morning.

I jumped into a hot shower, hoping it would at least wake me up for the time being. The jets of water hit my back, and I sighed happily as they eased my stiff muscles. After a good twenty minutes, I got out, dried myself off and changed into jeans, a t-shirt and sneakers. I dried my hair and left it down. I was hoping to see Dimitri today, and I knew he liked my long hair.

I sauntered up to Lissa's room to see how she was doing. When I got there, there was another guardian there that I didn't recognize. When he saw me headed in that direction he stepped in front of the door.

"No one is allowed to see the princess today," he stated.

I put my hands on my hips. "Excuse me?"

He faltered at my attitude. Since I didn't recognize him, I figured he must be new. And he obvious didn't know who I was.

"On the orders of Guardian Belikov. And besides, she's still asleep."

I sized him up. I was pretty sure I could take him in fight, but there was no use for it if Lissa was still asleep.

"Okay, I'll leave," I said, starting back down the hall. Then I added, "But let me make this clear. I'm leaving because Lissa is asleep and doesn't need me yet. Not because you told me too."

Then I strutted down the hallway, feeling his eyes boring into me the whole way. I smirked as I imagined his mouth hanging wide open at my exit.

With no where else to go, I decided to head down to the breakfast room and sort out some thoughts. I grabbed a bowl of cereal and a couple pieces of toast. Climbing buildings in the middle of the night makes for a good appetite in the morning.

I wasn't the only one in the room. In fact, there were plenty of guardians sitting around chatting happily, and eating breakfast. I couldn't spot Dimitri among them, so I took a table in the corner by myself.

The hotel was nice enough. The senior class from St. Vladimir's Academy was on a trip to Lehigh University, which was about an hour away from the Royal Court. The Moroi were looking for appropriate secondary schools. I, on the other hand, was here simply to carry out my training. And, since it didn't start until nine, I still had a couple hours before being stuck with Christian for the rest of the day.

Crap! That meant that I couldn't spend the day helping Lissa, since she hadn't told him about her condition yet. In my opinion he should know, but I wouldn't be the one to tell him. I also think Dimitri had a right to know, but again, I couldn't tell him.

Dimitri. Now our relationship was complicated. I mean, I was pretty sure we were together, just in secret. Lissa didn't even know, and I'm not sure when I'd ever get to tell her. Since we hadn't been spending all that much time along together, and the fact that these weren't the best circumstances in which to tell her, so I decided to wait.

"Little dhampir," droned a voice behind me.

I turned, shocked I hadn't heard him coming. I wasn't used to people sneaking up on me.

Adrian took a seat, and set down a steaming cup of coffee. His normally handsome features were lost among his tired and grumpy looking face.

"Good morning," I said smugly.

"Indeed," he replied sarcastically. Then he rubbed his chaffed wrists. "By the way, thanks for tying me up."

"Just saving you from yourself."

He gave me a crooked smile. "My hero."

I popped the last piece of toast into my mouth and leaned back in my chair. "Remember much from last night?"

He shrugged. "Enough."

"So you remember practically raping me last night?" I knew that was a little exaggerated, but then again, how was I to know that it wouldn't have reached that point.

"I was simply acting on a desire. I wouldn't have hurt you," he said, staring straight into my eyes.

I looked away. It was hard not to take him seriously when he did that.

"More importantly, I remember why Lissa sent me to get you," he continued, grinning. "Christian, that dog! I didn't know he had it in him."

"Didn't know I had what in me?"

I whirled around, and there was Christian, carrying a plate of toast and a cup of coffee. I had to start paying more attention to things!

"The ability to look more dim-witted than you act," Adrian replied sweetly.

Christian rolled his eyes. "Shut-up."

"Good one! You know you should just stop talking because you're only proving my point."

"What's on the agenda for the day?" I interrupted, seeing the rage burning in Christian's eyes.

He took a deep breath, then replied, "I think we're leaving campus today for a trip to the mall. Just what I need! Now I can go shop for those shoes I wanted to buy."

The sarcasm in his voice was unmistakable, but Adrian wasn't in the best of moods today. "Don't forget the matching purse."

Christian stood up, looking just about ready to set Adrian up in flames. Adrian, on the other hand, sat there grinning like an idiot, looking happier than I've seen him in a long time.

I jumped between them. "Hold up! Come on guys, the guardians are starting to stare. I think everyone just needs to calm down…"

Christian gritted his teeth and sat down again, fists clenched. I let out a breath and sat down too. If I had have known that I'd not only have to save Christian's ass, but the people he wanted to singe too, I would have protested with more vigor.

"No worries, Rose, I'm leaving now anyways. Things to do… People to see…" said Adrian, bowing gallantly before turning to leave.

"Peace to obliterate," Christian muttered.

Luckily Adrian didn't hear. He was already half way to the exit, pulling out a box of cigarettes on the way.

Christian and I sat in silence for a while. Finally he asked, "Is Lissa up yet?"

"I was there earlier and the guardian there told me she was asleep. I don't think he'll let you in, even if she was awake."

"We'll see," he said, smirking.

I grinned. Now this, I would have to see.

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**A/N - This chapter was mostly to show the tension between Christian and Adrian.**

**Hopefully I can get out of the habit of these short chapters!  
**

**Thanks for reading! Please read and review! **

**I. Goddess**


	4. Chapter 4

"What do you mean I can't go in and see her?!" Christian snarled.

It was the same guardian there as before. By the time Christian was ready to see Lissa, it was after nine, so I was officially on duty.

"She's not to see anyone today, on the orders of Guardian Belikov," he repeated.

I stood back enjoying the show. Christian had a pretty bad temper, and to tell you the truth I was looking forward to this new guardian getting told off.

"Well I'm not under his orders," he growled.

Christian tried to push past the guardian, who reached out to push him back. But he didn't even get to lay a hand on Christian, before I was there, shoving him up against the wall, arms behind his back.

"You don't touch him," I told the guardian. "You may be assigned to guard Lissa, but you don't mess with me or my Moroi."

Someone cleared their throat. Christian, the grinning fool, was standing beside Dimitri.

"Mr. Hawkins," started Dimitri, "what happened here?"

"This Moroi was trying to go into the princess's room. I went to stop him, and this," he gave me a disgusted look, "girl intervened."

"And why didn't you let them in?" he inquired.

"You said not to let anyone in."

Dimitri shook his head. "No. I said unless it was Rose Hathaway or Christian Ozera, not to let anyone in."

Hawkins looked away, a red tint reaching his cheeks.

"You will be a good guardian," continued Dimitri, "but you need to learn to listen. You may have been recommended by one of the better guardians, but that doesn't mean you're the best."

Hawkins nodded.

"Rose, you can let him go anytime," Dimitri said, giving me a small smile.

I grinned and let him go. He moved away from me and moved to stand beside Dimitri, rubbing his wrists where I'd held them.

"I'm relieving you of your duties for now, Mr. Hawkins. You may go," Dimitri told him.

He glared at me before he left. I gave him the finger.

"Rose, behave," Dimitri told me, and I felt suddenly very childish.

Christian, who had been standing quietly off to the side for the last few minutes, cleared his throat. "Can I go in now?"

Dimitri nodded, and Christian knocked lightly on the door. "Lissa? It's me, Christian. Open the door, please."

He said it with such tenderness that it made me remember how in love the two of them were. In that moment, I realized that he would never hurt Lissa, and he would do anything for her.

Lissa peeked out the door. "I'm not feeling well, Christian. I don't want you and Rose to get sick to, so you better just leave."

She went to close the door, but Christian caught it. "I don't care. I'd rather spend a day sick with you, than a day without you."

Lissa smiled sappily, looking as if she was going to cry. Honestly, it was a pretty sweet thing for him to say.

"And I don't care much if Rose gets sick or not. If she's that worried about it, she can wait in the hall."

And there goes the friendliness I was feeling.

Lissa punched him playfully on the shoulder.

I glanced at Dimitri. "You know what, maybe that's a good idea. If I get sick, I wouldn't be able to concentrate on my duties as well."

Lissa gave me a weird look. Christian shrugged, unfazed, and said, "Fine with me. Come on, Lissa."

She gave me one last glance before closing the door.

"So, I guess it's just you and me now," I said, taking a step closer to Dimitri.

"Yes, I suppose it is."

"So, who was that?"

"Finn Hawkins? He transferred here with excellent recommendations from his other school. And since we needed someone to take over for Eddie anyway."

Eddie had a bad run-in with a couple of guardians the other day. They were testing him, and he was doing really well, considering he'd already take one out of the picture. At least he was doing well until he went to kick the other one and the guardian caught his leg. He tried a manoeuvre to get his leg out, but he pulled too hard, too soon in the wrong direction and he broke his leg. It's a lot easier than it sounds.

"So he's going to be guarding Lissa for the rest of the training?" I asked.

Dimitri shrugged. "He was supposed to, but he doesn't listen to a word anyone tells him. He thinks he can do our jobs better than we can."

Then we stood in silence for a while. It wasn't awkward though. That's one of the many things I liked about Dimitri. You could be with him and feel comfortable without having to say anything at all. Soon I shifted over to stand closer to him, and slipped my hand into his. I expected him to let go, but instead he gripped it tighter, as if he was looking for someone to comfort him.

All of a sudden Christian burst out of the room. Dimitri and I jumped apart. He stormed down the hall, and I gave a bewildered look at Dimitri.

"Follow him," Dimitri sighed, heading in to see Lissa.

I was torn between going in and comforting Lissa, who couldn't have been happy about Christian running out on her, and actually doing what I was brought here to do. With a sigh I chose the latter, and set out on a quick jog after him.

When I caught up to him, he was sitting against the door outside his room with his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands.

I sat down beside him. I didn't have much to say, and even if I did, I wouldn't have said anything anyway. When he was ready to talk, he would. I guess I was picking up some moves from Dimitri.

Finally he looked at me and asked, "How could I be so selfish?"

It was the last thing I was expecting to hear from him. "What?"

He stared down the hallway. "How could I do that to her? How could I ruin her like that?"

"Christian you didn't-"

"I did!" he interrupted, fiercely. "She couldn't have gotten herself pregnant, and this pregnancy is going to ruin everything she has going for her. God dammit Rose, she was going places! She was representing her family, and I couldn't have been more proud of her. But now? Now, all anyone is going to think of her is that she's a slut or something. That's she's having sex at her age. That she's having sex with me! The abomination of the Moroi!"

His eyes started to water, so he turned his head, blinking them away.

"You did everything you could-"

"No!" he interrupted again. "I shouldn't even have had sex with her in the first place! It was too risky, and now…" He swallowed hard. "I'm going to be a father."

"Look, this isn't as bad as you-"

"Isn't as bad? How can it be good? All I've done is mess up the best thing that's happened to me since… well, since ever."

He stood up and opened the door to his room to go inside. I went to follow him and he tried to slam the door on me, but I stuck my foot in the way. He glared at me.

"This isn't all about you," I told him, never looking away from his gaze. "Think about that for a while." Then I shut the door, and took up my guardian stance.

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**A/N - Another chapter! I discovered that I like writing (and reading) about Christian/Adrian because of their personalities, so you'll probably be seeing a lot of them. **

**Thanks for reading! Reviews would be much obliged!**

**I. Goddess  
**


	5. Chapter 5

Christian didn't come out of his room for the rest of the day. I spent the whole day standing outside his door, wishing instead that I could be with Lissa, comforting her. As soon as my shift was over, I went to see her. Dimitri was still there, and by the look he gave me as he let me into her room, I could tell that he knew.

"I'll wait in the hall," he told me, closing the door behind him.

She was on the bed with cards strewn around her.

"Hey Lissa," I said. "How are you feeling?"

She shrugged. "Better. It was morning sickness earlier. I wasn't really sick."

I expected as much. I nodded towards the cards. "Have you been winning?"

She gave me a smile, but I could tell it was fake. "Mostly, but I think Dimitri was letting me win." Then the smile faded. "How's Christian?"

I shrugged. "Better," I told her. I figured she didn't need to know that he'd locked me out of his room and that I really hadn't talked to him since this morning.

She sighed. "I knew he was going to take it like this. I shouldn't have had sex with him at all. I shouldn't have put him in this situation. He already had a bad rep. I've just made it worse."

I laughed. "You know what? That's what he said. Except he was worried about you, and how he was ruining your reputation."

She frowned. "Really?"

"Of course! He really loves you, Lissa. I'm almost jealous of you and him."

She raised an eyebrow. "Almost?"

I froze. I'd meant because I had Dimitri, but I wasn't ready to tell her that yet. "Yeah, because it's Christian," I told her instead. "He's a pain in my butt."

She laughed, and I gave an internal sigh of relief. We played cards for a while, talking about everything else for a while. Things that seemed trivial, but were a good way to forget the important subjects for a while.

Then the door opened and Dimitri poked his head through. "Christian's here. He wants to come in?"

I looked at Lissa, who nodded confirmation.

Christian swung the door open. Dimitri followed him in and shut the door behind himself. "Sorry," he said apologetically, "but I'm not even supposed to let Christian in here. I can't leave you alone."

We all nodded. "I figured," muttered Christian.

He walked over to Lissa, and sat down beside her. "I've been thinking about this a lot."

"Me too," said Lissa. "I want-"

He took her hands. "Let me finish. I want to say that I'm sorry that I put you in this situation. I'm sorry that I didn't better protect you. But one things for certain. You aren't going to have to go through this alone. I'm going to be right next to you the whole time, helping you through it." He paused for a minute, planning out his next words carefully. "I never really thought about having children before. They never really appealed to me, but that doesn't mean I won't put one hundred and ten percent into fatherhood. I love you, Lissa, and there's nothing in the whole world that could ever change that."

Lissa was crying by now. She fell into his arms and he stroked her hair, gently rocking her back and forth.

I looked away. I felt like I was intruding on an important moment. I felt my eyes drift towards Dimitri, only to find that he was already looking at me. His expression was studious, as if gauging my reaction to the scene. I don't know what he got out of it, but when I caught him looking, he looked away.

Dimitri cleared his throat. "Christian, I think you should leave now. In fact, Rose you shouldn't be here either."

Christian gave Lissa a good-bye kiss and left. I smiled at Lissa, gave her a hug, and headed for the door.

Dimitri followed me out. "Roza, wait."

My heart skipped a beat, as it always did when he used my Russian name. He came over and wrapped his arms around me.

"I heard what you said to Lissa. About being jealous of her," he whispered.

I wanted to say that I wasn't really jealous, but I couldn't make my mouth work properly.

"I don't want you to ever feel neglected. You and I both knew that this was going to be difficult. But don't ever think that I don't love you."

Then he bent down and gave me the most gentle kiss I've ever had. It was soft and sweet. Loving. I had never doubted his love for me before, and I never would after this moment. No one could have mistaken the affection that was flowing from his mouth into mine. It was a moment that I'm sure I would remember for the rest of my life.

"Now go get some sleep, Roza."

I nodded, and my feet started carrying me away. Then I remembered something. "Dimitri?"

"Yes?"

"I love you, too."

"I know."

I didn't know how long it took me to reach my room, and I didn't really care. Time didn't exist anymore. I changed into something more comfortable, and crawled under the covers. I fell asleep with that kiss still on my mind.

_I was lounging near the pool in the hotel. I was in a solid red bikini. Looking around it seemed like I was the only one there, until I felt a pair of hands on my shoulders, massaging them. I whirled around, and there stood Adrian. Surprise, surprise. I should have guessed when I saw the bikini._

_"Little dhampir, so nice to see you again."_

_I groaned. "I thought I told you to stay out of my head!"_

_"You're later than usual tonight," he said, ignoring me. "Where have you been?"_

_"I was helping Lissa and Christian patch things up."_

_He smiled. "Ah yes. I heard about their little spat."_

_"Everything is fine now, if you care."_

_He feigned hurt. "Of course I care."_

_I snorted._

_"Okay, maybe not as much as I should. At least not about them," he said, gazing at me. _

_I looked away. "Quit that."_

_He was suddenly at my side. "Quit what?"_

_"Whatever you're doing to me, stop it."_

_He smirked. "I'm not doing anything to you, Rose. I'm simply a charming, sensitive guy."_

_I shook my head. "No. You're a selfish, arrogant guy."_

_He raised his eyebrows. "Is that really what you think?"_

_I didn't know what to say. The only things I heard about Adrian was that he was trouble, and not to trust him. But I couldn't help it. He wasn't selfish around me. He was charming and handsome. So maybe he was a bit of a smartass. So is everyone sometimes._

_He bent closer to me. "I think you're lying. The truth is that you think I'm a good guy, and you like me." He paused. "Maybe not the way you like Belikov, but you care about me."_

_He was right. _

_He kissed the top of my head. "Goodnight, little dhampir. Sleep tight." _

_And then he was gone. _

* * *

**A/N - Hope you enjoyed it! I hope to get into some action now that things are patched up between Christian and Lissa for the time being. **

**Thanks for all of your reviews, I really appreciate all of them! Keep them coming!**

**I'll get the next chapter up ASAP.**

**Cheers,**

**I. Goddess (P.S. - This is just a short form for my penname, Imagination Goddess.)**


	6. Chapter 6

A loud knock on my door woke me up. I rolled over to look at the clock that read six AM. I groaned as someone knocked again. Why did I always need to get up early again? I dragged myself to the door.

It was Dimitri. "Lissa's missing."

My heart stopped, and my legs gave out. Dimitri caught me before I hit the ground.

"Roza, are you okay?" I could feel his breath on my neck, but his voice sounded so far away. "Roza, we're going to find her, but we need your help. Can you feel her through your bond?"

I wracked my brain for some sign of her, an emotion, a stray thought, anything, but there was nothing. In fact, now that I thought about it, I hadn't been able to sense her for the past couple of days. Why hadn't I noticed?

"I can't sense anything," I moaned, curling up into a ball against him.

"It's okay," he murmured softly in my ear. "She'll be okay, we'll find her."

Something changed inside me. I took a step back and realized that laying there wasn't going to save Lissa. I needed to do something, not just wait for things to get better. I guess this is what made me a good guardian. My ability to shove my emotions out of the way for someone else.

I stood up and shook myself out. "What do we know?"

Dimitri must have recognized my internal change, because he made a business-like change as well. "We don't know much, just that she was either unconscious when she was taken or she went peacefully. Nothing in her room was taken or disturbed, so we know they came just for her."

I nodded, trying not to freak out. "And who was guarding her when she disappeared?"

Dimitri clenched his fists. "Hawkins."

I headed towards the door. "I'll kill him."

"Calm down, Rose," he said, grabbing my arm and pulling me back. "He already feels bad enough. I had a long chat with him."

"Why was he even guarding at night? He's still training, right?"

"Yes. He asked to make up for earlier, so I told him if he wanted to prove himself, he'd have to start right then and there. He agreed. We even attacked through the night. Came through the balcony door, and he fended off two guardians. But by the time I got there to take over about ten minutes ago, she was gone and he didn't even realize it," he informed me.

I pulled him to the door. "Take me to him."

He nodded and lead me through the hotel to a conference room on the bottom floor. There were guardians crawling all over the place. Dimitri lead me to a table at the back of the room where Finn Hawkins sat, head down, and steaming coffee cup in his hands.

I pulled out a chair and sat down, leaning over the table at him. When he looked up at me, his eyes weren't filled with the rage I saw earlier. Instead they looked like bottomless pits of pure guilt. So I took it easy on him.

"My name is Rose Hathaway," I started.

"Finn Hawkins," he replied.

"I need to know what happened."

He looked up at Dimitri. "She's only a trainee. Why should she get to know?"

When I spoke his eyes snapped back to mine. "I have a special bond with Lissa. Because of this bond, I can feel what she feels and it makes me one of the best candidates to be her future guardian. I'm not here because I'm in training. I'm here because my best friend is out there with God knows who, and I care about her."

He looked at me, judging my story, and then nodded. "I was standing outside of the door. I figured after this morning that I was going to get tested, so I kept especially keen. Then the two guardians showed up. When I finished with them, I took my stance outside the door again." He bowed his head. "To tell you the truth, I was expecting another attack, but nothing came." He met my eyes again. "I swear there was no noise at all."

I believed him. He looked so heartbroken and sorry that it couldn't be anything but the truth.

"So then what happened?"

"Well," he continued, "Guardian Belikov came to take my place. He congratulated me on my win that night. He used the key to the door to check on Lissa, but when he opened it she wasn't there." He shook his head, as if trying to get rid of a memory. "I don't know how anyone could have done it. Do you know the worst part? It's how everything looked perfect. Someone even took the time to make the bed before they left."

I shuddered. "Thanks, Finn."

I got up, and Dimitri and I walked away. "You know I have to go find her right?"

He nodded. "Yes, I know that. So does everyone else. They all expected as much."

"And you know Christian is going to want to come too," I told him.

"Yes. But he has to stay here. It's bad enough that we're letting you and Finn come."

I frowned. "Finn's coming too?"

Dimitri sighed. "He wants to make things right."

"He let them take her!" I shouted.

"I don't think it's his fault, Rose." He looked deep into my eyes. "And I don't think you do either. He'll make a good guardian. He might even give you a run for your money if he shapes up a bit."

I crossed my arms. "Fine, he can come."

Dimitri smiled at me. "It's not like you had a say in the matter anyways."

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever." Then things got serious again. "Do you think it was the Strigoi?"

Dimitri shrugged. "Most likely. We found a group of them not far from here in an underground tunnel. It was supposed to be used for an escape route for terrorist attacks or something, but the city stopped construction short because of money problems. We'll start there, since it's the closest and most convenient spot for them to have stashed her for the day."

I nodded in agreement. "So when are we leaving?"

"In a couple of hours. Be ready."

* * *

**A/N - And the promised action has finally revealed itself! And this is only the beginning! More to come!**

**Thanks again for all your support! I'm glad you like it!**

**Cheers,**

**I. Goddess**


	7. Chapter 7

I ran to my room to get ready to leave. On the way, I was trying to remember what it was that I needed, but nothing came to mind. I was too overwhelmed with information, and packing was at the bottom of my to-do list.

When I got to my room, I could hear someone rummaging around inside. I stilled my breathing and became very quiet. Was someone seriously trying to rob me? I needed to move fast if I wanted to catch whoever was inside by surprise. From the sound of it, there was only one person in the room. I stealthily slid the key card into the door and flung it open, taking leaps and bounds towards the intruder. I tackled him and pinned him to the ground.

"You know, this would be much more comfortable for me if I wasn't on my stomach," the intruder said seductively.

I rolled off of him and groaned. "What are you doing in my room, Adrian?"

He propped hid head up so he could see me better. "I heard you were going on a trip."

"How is it that you know everything about me, but when I tell you something it slides off you like water off a duck? Do I need to tell someone else to tell you to stay out of my stuff?"

Adrian chuckled. "Information seems to enjoy my company."

I stared up at the ceiling. "Lissa's missing."

He put a tentative hand in mine, and when I didn't pull away he gave it a comforting squeeze. "I know."

"I'm going to look for her," I said, even though he knew that too.

"I'm coming with you," he said.

I sat bolt upright. "I don't think so," I told him. "The guardians would never let you come along."

He grinned. "That's why they won't know."

I sighed. "Adrian, there's nothing you can do anyway. Why bother coming? You're just putting yourself in danger."

"There are plenty of things I can do that I'm sure you'd be grateful for. And besides," his grin turned wicked, "danger is my middle name."

My heart beat faster. Damn, he was good-looking. Especially when he smiled like that. "What kinds of things?"

"Now why would I hand away my leverage like that?" he asked.

"Fine, you can come," I agreed reluctantly.

"Something tells me you wouldn't have been able to stop me anyways," he said, winking at me. "So where are we going?"

"There's a tunnel a little ways from here. That's the farthest place the Strigoi could have taken her, since it was so close to sunrise."

"Who says she was taken?" Adrian asked calmly.

"Of course she was taken! Why would she just get up and leave?"

He shrugged. "If someone threatened your friends, wouldn't you do the same thing?"

This changed everything. What if someone was in contact with Lissa? Adrian could communicate through dreams, so why not another spirit user? That doesn't mean that the Strigoi aren't responsible, just that they could be working with a Moroi. But what Moroi would be despicable enough to betray their own people?

"Have you and Lissa had any luck finding other spirit users?" I asked him.

He stayed quiet for a while. "There was this one guy. Ralph Taylor. We're pretty sure he's a spirit user. But he lives in England, and nobody's seen him for a decade or so now."

I started throwing clothes and things into a bag. How much would I need? I didn't know how long it was going to take.

"When was the last time you talked to Lissa?" I asked.

He went quiet again.

I stopped what I was doing. "Adrian, when was the last time you talked to Lissa?"

"A few hours ago." He coughed awkwardly. "I was in her dreams, and then something took over, and the dream began to change. I wasn't in control anymore, and something threw me out so hard, I didn't wake up for a while. When I did wake up, everyone already knew about Lissa, so I figured I'd keep quiet about it."

I gaped at him. "How could you just not say anything?"

He looked straight into my eyes. "They already knew she was missing, and if they knew I was visiting her in her dreams, we would both get in some serious shit. I wouldn't have been able to come. I wouldn't have been able to help you."

"But this is the information we need! We need to know who we're up against!"

He didn't break the stare. "Don't you think I know that? But who would know spirit users better than Lissa and I? And since Lissa is MIA…"

He had really thought this through. And I knew he was right. The guardians wouldn't have let him come, and he probably does have information that could be helpful to us. Crap, that made me feel bad.

I nodded my agreement, and continued to fill my little bag with the essentials. No use taking a whole bunch of things I wouldn't use.

"I have to leave now," I told Adrian. "You can't let yourself be seen by any of the guardians, since they'll only send you away. That will be hard enough. What if I need to tell you something? Or what if you need to tell me something? How am I going to communicate with you?"

He pulled out a beeper. "I'll page you when I need to talk to you. You'll just need to find some method of getting away from them."

I took the beeper and slipped it into my pocket. "Thanks."

I gave him a long look, and he gave me a crooked smile. Then I dropped my bag and gave him a huge hug. He wrapped his arms around me in a comforting way.

"Watch yourself out there," he said.

"Yup. You be careful too, okay?" I mumbled into his shirt.

"No need to worry about me," he teased. "I'm the big man here remember?"

I looked up at him. "Please, Adrian. Be careful."

He pulled me closer. "Always, little dhampir. Always."

* * *

**A/N - Some Rose/Adrian fluff for the lovers out there. I'm a Dimitri gal myself, but if they can't be together, I wouldn't mind her and Adrian.**

**Thanks again for your great reviews! Questions? Comments? Concerns? Let me know!**

**The next chapter might take a little longer to get up and I deeply apologize for this!**

**Cheers,**

**I. Goddess  
**


	8. Chapter 8

I was back with the guardians with plenty of time to spare. I didn't know what I was supposed to be doing. I felt more awkward than anything else, until Dimitri came up to me.

"Rose, we're leaving now," he said. "There was a couple of scouts who went out a little while ago, so they'll keep us informed."

I nodded. "Am I staying with you?"

"For now. I'm in charge of you and Finn, since I'm the one who vouched for your safekeeping."

I frowned when I remembered Finn was coming along, but as long as he stayed out of my way, I'd deal with it.

"Speak of the devil," I murmured, as Finn strode up to us.

He was wearing all black. He shirt was tight enough that you could see his muscles through it. Now that I think of it, I hadn't really gotten a good look at the guy before now. He had black hair that he kept short and neat. He had shockingly blue eyes, but at the moment they were filled with despair.

"All set?" Dimitri asked.

Finn and I both nodded. The other guardians that were coming with us had already started moving out. I kept pace with Dimitri.

"How long do you think it will take us to get there?" I asked him.

His lips turned up at the corners. "You're not going to start asking me are we there yet already, are you Rose?"

I gave him an exasperated look.

"It'll take about a day, day and a half, for us to get there. The scouts will probably be there tonight to keep an eye out."

That left the whole day for Lissa to be in complete danger. I wonder if she was actually stupid enough to leave by herself, just because someone threatened her friends. Most of her friends were guardians-in-training, or they had guardians themselves. It didn't make sense that she would risk her life, one of the more important Moroi lives at the moment, for a couple of guardians that might have died.

Someone called Dimitri away and I went to follow when someone tapped me on the shoulder. I whirled around arm coming fast enough to knock whoever was there off their feet. But the hit missed. When I saw that it was Finn, I relaxed. He had ducked under my arm as it went to hit him.

"Good reflexes," I told him, beginning to walk again.

He caught up with me. "Thanks. I guess I shouldn't have come up behind you like that."

I realized that I hadn't even heard him coming. People kept doing that! What was wrong with me?

I shrugged. "I should have been paying more attention. Especially out on a mission like this."

He nodded solemnly. We walked in silence for a few minutes. Neither of us really knew what to say.

"What made you want to come?" I asked finally.

"She was lost on my watch, and I'm going to make up for it."

I knew what he meant. If it had have been me who'd let the Moroi get kidnapped, I'd been doing the same thing. I decided that Finn was a lot like me. He understood what it meant to be a guardian and took it seriously. And, if his reflexes said anything, he was pretty good. He did come with excellent recommendations.

After that initial awkwardness, we started talking about everyday things. Favourite foods, music, movies. I found that he was actually a pretty cool guy, and that I might even allow him to hang out with us after we saved Lissa.

I refused to think the words 'if we save Lissa' because acknowledging that we might not save her meant that there was a way of losing her. If I didn't think about it that outcome didn't exist.

When Dimitri finally came back, he said that we were setting up camp. He said that it was too dangerous for us to keep moving at night, and that a good night's rest would revive everyone for the big day ahead tomorrow.

"But aren't we just making ourselves an easy target, camping out in the middle of the woods?" Finn asked.

Dimitri shook his head. "Not if we have people on guard at all times. It would be worse for us to keep moving with our senses anything less than perfect, than to sleep in one spot."

It unnerved me, having to stay and sleep while Lissa was in immediate danger. When I told Dimitri this he wrapped his arms around me and told me that Lissa would be fine for another half a day. I nodded, but I wasn't sure I could believe him.

Someone had started a fire, and half of the guardians were laying out sleeping bags. Finn and I took ours out as well and laid them side by side. Dimitri, on the other hand, did not.

"Aren't you going to sleep?" I asked.

"Later," he told me. "I'm on first watch."

So I crawled into my bag. After a little while, everyone started to doze off. Everyone except me. I laid awake, unable to think of anything but Lissa, and how she was doing. I'd been trying sporadically throughout the day to feel something through our bond, but there was nothing. I felt the tears falling from my eyes, but I didn't bother to wipe them away.

"Rose? Are you okay?"

Finn was looking at me, his eyes full of worry.

"Yeah," I said, wiping them away now, embarrassed that he'd seen them. "I just miss Lissa."

He moved his sleeping bag closer to mine and put a comforting arm around me. "I know." Then he changed the subject trying to get my mind off of her. "The stars are bright tonight. And more noticeable without the moon around." I nodded. "Try counting all of them. You'll fall asleep in no time."

I didn't really feel like sleeping, but I knew I'd better because tomorrow I needed my strength to fight. I started counting. I must have been really tired, because before I knew it was out like a light.

* * *

**A/N - A filler chapter. Not much happening. Sorry about it's lameness. **

**Criticize away! Thanks for reading!**

**Cheers,**

**I. Goddess.**


	9. Chapter 9

I woke curled up against Finn. His arm was still around me. I eased my way out from his hold, managing not to wake him up as I did so. He was a sweet guy, but I wouldn't want him to wake up with me still next him. It might give him the wrong idea about us.

It was early, the sun was just barely peeking over the trees. Despite the hour, I was not the only one up. In fact, most of the guardians were awake, and tearing down camp. I spotted Dimitri and headed over to him. On the way, I realized that I'd slept through the whole night.

"Why wasn't I waken for a watch?"

"You weren't needed," he explains simply.

I frowned. "But I want to help."

"I know, Rose. But we wanted you to get enough sleep so you won't do anything stupid when we reach the tunnel later today. We know we wouldn't be able to keep you out of the fight."

"But you got to take a watch," I said, knowing it sounds incredibly childish.

"I'm also more experienced than you," he points out.

"But in order for me to be experienced don't I need to experience something?"

He sighed, sounding a little stressed out. "Please. Just let it go, Rose."

And I did. I decided to leave him alone, but not before I gave him a quick kiss, hoping it would make him feel better.

I went back to roll up my sleeping bag and found it was already done. Finn was pulling on a clean shirt. He smiled when he saw me.

"Thanks for this," I said pointing at my stuff, "but I can do my own work."

He shrugged. "It was no skin off my back."

I grabbed a clean shirt from my bag and changed, leaving on the same pants, since they weren't all that dirty. No one here would care right now anyways.

We headed out. They needed Dimitri up front, so I decided to walk with him. I hadn't had much time with him in the past day or so, and I missed talking to him. I missed being with him.

"What's new?" I asked nonchalantly.

'The scouts made it to the tunnel and they've been watching it ever since, but there isn't much of anything going on. We don't want to risk them going in without back-up," he informed me.

I nodded in agreement, knowing that what he was saying was logical. At the same time, I wanted to know something about her, and a few guardians didn't seem like that big a price to pay. Then I felt guilty for thinking about that.

He must have sensed the conflicting sides in me, because he looked straight into my eyes and said, "Roza, when this is all over, I'm going to take you out."

I raised my eyebrows. "Like on a date?"

He smiled. "Exactly. A date. Somewhere nice, off school grounds. Just the two of us."

My heart felt like it would burst through my chest at any moment. It didn't matter that it was going to be extremely difficult to do, just that he said we would. I couldn't stop smiling and, surprisingly, neither could he.

"If there weren't so many people around, I'd kiss you to seal the deal," he told me.

I'd forgotten that there were other people around. At first, I'd also forgotten why it mattered whether they saw or not. And then I came back to my senses.

Someone cleared their throat. I tried to ignore it, but they cleared it again. I looked back and Finn waved me over.

"I'll be back," I told Dimitri.

I followed Finn to the back of the group. When we were far enough away that they couldn't hear us clearly, but could still see us, Finn spoke.

"I have something to say to you," he said, his voice shaking a bit.

"I kind of got that impression when you pulled me away from the guardians," I teased.

He laughed nervously. "Yeah, I suppose you would."

When he didn't continue, I urged him on. "So...?"

"Right." He took a deep breath. "What would you say to us?"

"Us?"

"You know, going on a date?"

"A date?" I whispered.

Suddenly there was a beep. I looked down. Adrian's pager was going off.

"Would you excuse me for a minute?" I asked, relieved that I'd have some time to recover.

I ran into the woods, figuring Adrian must be close by. It didn't take long before I saw him coming towards me. For the first time in his life, Adrian looked worried. And that unnerved me.

"Rose, something's wrong," he said as soon as I was in hearing distance.

My breathing picked up. "What is it?"

He shook his head. "I don't know for sure, but when I was asleep last night, I was able to enter Lissa's dream for a minute."

"And?" I asked.

"And she was scared. We need to start moving faster."

There was a sudden thrashing of trees, and Christian popped out, furiously.

"Adrian, you need to tell me what you saw!"

Adrian's eyes flashed dangerously. "Fuck off!"

But Christian didn't listen. "What's wrong with her? Where is she?"

"I told you to stay put!"

"Christian?" It came out so calmly I surprised myself.

He looked towards me, seeing me for the first time. Then he directed his anger towards me. "You didn't tell me! You were going to leave me behind! I had to hear about this from HIM! I don't even like him!"

I lost my temper. "I was trying to save you! What would Lissa say to me if you died trying to save her? Sorry if you think keeping you out of the loop was the wrong idea, but I don't give a damn!"

"She's my girlfriend! You could have at least told me!"

"And that would have kept you from coming, would it? If you didn't know, then you couldn't follow. And you!" I shouted turning to Adrian. "You told him! Why would you do that?"

"If Dimitri was in trouble you'd want to save him, right?" he asked.

I hate it when Adrian turns things around on me. "But I'm trained in saving people!"

A bush beside me errupted into flames.

"But you can't to do that," Adrian pointed out.

I groaned. There was nothing I could do about it now. He was just going to have to tag along and stay out of the way.

"You can come, but you can't fight. If you get killed, Lissa will hate me."

"Is everything settled now?" Adrian asked. "Can I continue?"

"There's more?" I asked.

"Yeah. I found out that Ralph Taylor is involved. And he's working with Victor."

* * *

**A/N - Please review! Thanks!**

**I. Goddess. **


	10. Chapter 10

"My girlfriend and my soon-to-be child are with Victor?" screeched Christian.

In all the confusion, I'd completely forgotten about Lissa's pregnancy! Now the pressure was really on. Were things ever going to get easier?

Adrian ignored him. "Rose, you need to get the guardians to move faster! She was so sick she couldn't even talk to me. And it was a dream!"

I gaped at him. "I don't know how!"

"You'll think of something," he said. "Now go!"

I ran back through the trees, past all of the guardians, up to the front where Dimitri was leading.

"We need to move faster!" I said when I reached him.

He furrowed his brow. "What do you mean?"

I shook my head. "You're going to have to trust me on this. Lissa's in serious danger! She's with Victor and a spirit user named Ralph Taylor."

"Did your bond open up again?"

I shook my head again. "No, and I can't tell you how I know this. What I can tell you is that she might get really hurt if we don't haul ass!"

Instead of protesting like I expected he would, he grabbed a walkie-talkie from his belt and made an announcement. "We need to pick up the pace everyone!"

He set the pace at a nice steady jog. I'm glad he'd made me run all those laps, or else I probably wouldn't have been able to keep up. I don't know what Adrian and Christian were going to do.

I kept glancing at my watch, wishing I could stop time until I got to Lissa. Instead, the minutes kept ticking by, relentlessly. The trees were becoming more sparse, and I could see a clearing up ahead.

"From what we know, the tunnel should be in this clearing," Dimitri panted.

My senses sharpened and I sped up, not wanting to waste any more time on travelling. Dimitri sped up with me, and I could only assume the rest of the guardians followed suit. I didn't take the time to look back and check. The entrance to the tunnel drew near. When the scouts saw us coming at such a fast pace, they came out to meet us.

"We need to go in now," Dimitri said to them as I zoomed past.

When I came to the entrance, I slowed and made my movements quiet. I turned to make sure there was someone behind me, covering me. Lissa might have been in danger, but I wasn't going to be stupid. Dimitri was there, creeping along with me, and Finn was behind him. I groaned at the thought of having to talk to Finn after all of this was over. It was strange how thoughts like that would pop into your head in the weirdest situations.

When the light from the tunnel entrance disappeared, someone turned on a flashlight. I whirled around and jumped at them, grabbing the flashlight and turned it off. It was Finn.

"They'd see us before we'd see them," I hissed at him. "Your eyes will adjust."

Dimitri had continued on to lead the way, so I fell into step behind him. I kept my ears open for any voices or strange noises, but nothing came. I wanted to ask Dimitri what he thought, but talking any more would most definitely give away our position.

We must have walked for a good hour, before we reached an opening. It was the other end of the tunnel, which lead to the basement of a building. I stared in disbelief. She wasn't here.

Dimitri turned to address the other guardians. "Everyone, take ten. Then we need to search every inch of this tunnel before we plan our next move. If you find anything at all, make sure you tell me."

They headed back into the tunnel. I sat on the ground. My legs felt like jelly, as they should since I hadn't stopped moving since this morning. Dimitri sat down beside me. He didn't ask me if I was okay, since the answer was obvious. Instead he just sat with me. A few minutes passed before I got over the shock of her not being there.

"What are we going to do now?" I asked.

"If we find anything in the tunnel that could help us, we'll start with that. I also need to find all of the information I can on Ralph Taylor. I'll have to talk with someone who might know something about how Victor got out of prison."

"Are we going back to the school?"

"I'm going to put in a call to the guardians now, telling them to send everyone back to the school and put up all the extra security they can manage. This is more serious than we first thought. Our team won't be going back, though. We'll setup headquarters somewhere in the city until we get more information."

"I'm still coming with you."

It wasn't a question but he nodded anyways. "Yes. We need everyone we can get out looking for her, and you're one of our best hopes."

Despite having been given the greatest compliment of my entire life from the person I admired the most, I didn't feel anything. My best friend was in an unknown location, and until we found her I don't think I'd ever feel complete again. I checked the bond, but there was still a block of some sort. Something keeping me out.

I sighed. "Let's get to work. The faster we finish looking through here, the faster we can find Lissa."

Saying her name left a lump in my throat, but I took out my flashlight and headed into the tunnel, determined to find something that could help us.

There was about twenty of us searching, but it looked like the area had been cleaned out. There was no evidence that Strigoi had ever been there, let alone in the past twenty-four hours. When we'd finally decided there was nothing to find, Dimitri gathered everyone up, and we went to the city end of the tunnel. I stared at the ground the whole time, not wanting anyone to see the pain in my eyes.

Then, in my peripheral vision, I saw something tucked under a rock. I wasn't going to get my hopes up, but it could be something important that we wouldn't want to overlook. I pushed the rock away, and pulled out a playing card. It looked like it was from the set Lissa had been using. I flipped it over, and on the back the word 'England' was written in mud.

* * *

**A/N - While writing this chapter I had an idea about something that's going to happen later and I'm really excited to write it now!**

**But until the time comes for another chapter to be written, I'd love to hear what you think of this one!**

**Thanks!**

**I. Goddess**


	11. Chapter 11

"So, you think this card belongs to Lissa?"

When I first showed the card to Dimitri in the hotel we were staying in, he was a little skeptical of it belonging to Lissa. I explained to him that they were the cards he was using with her the other day. I also explained that Ralph Taylor was from England.

"I'm sure it does! Why else would this card be in the basement of that building? Why would someone write England on it in mud? It has to be Lissa's!"

He looked at the card a little bit longer, before nodding slowly. "Okay. I'll start booking the flight for England. I'm going to need more information about this Ralph Taylor."

"I can probably get you all the information there is about him, but you'll have to give me some time alone," I told him.

He raised his eyebrows. "Okay, but I'm going to set some other people on the job too."

"Don't you trust me?" I asked crossing my arms.

He grabbed my hands. "Of course! But I need all the information I can get, and you'll need some help."

I nodded, a little peeved that he wouldn't let me handle this on my own. Then again, who was I to decide what everyone should do. He was in charge and I'm sure he knew what he was doing. Still…

We parted, and I went to my room to try to come up with a way to contact Adrian. The beeper only worked one way. I pulled it out anyways, as if I could somehow make it tell me where Adrian and Christian were. Before I could even take a good look at it, it beeped. I looked at the screen, and it had a phone number. I reached for the phone and plugged in the numbers. Adrian answered it on the first ring.

"That was fast," he commented.

"I need to know everything you know about Ralph Taylor."

"I don't know all that much."

"It doesn't matter. Tell me what you know. Everything you know."

I grabbed the pad and pen they left on the desks and got ready to take notes.

He sighed, and I had a mental picture of him rubbing his temples. "He's older. In his sixties at least. No one had seen him for a while. He had a wife, but she committed suicide right before he disappeared."

She was shadow-kissed, I guessed. She couldn't handle it anymore and she killed herself. He went crazy trying to live without her lessening the pain. He went into hiding or something so he wouldn't have to deal with other people.

"He wasn't considered in great mental health even before he disappeared. He doesn't have any family that I know of. Even when his wife was alive, he was deemed a loner. He lived in England for his entire life, in a small house on the outskirts of Liverpool. Sorry, Rose, but that's all I know. But, I doubt you'll find anyone who knows anything more than that."

I looked at the meagre list I'd formed from his description. Frustrated I through the pen across the room. I stood up and ran my fingers through my hair.

"If we needed you to show us where his house outside Liverpool, could you do it?"

"Sure. I printed out a picture that I found on the internet. I'm pretty sure the source is reliable, but you never know."

"I found a card in the tunnel. It was from the set Lissa was using the other day, and it had England written on the back, which couldn't be a coincidence," I explained to him. "My guess is that Victor had someone sneak him out of jail, and he found where Taylor was hiding in England."

"And you think they're using Taylor's house as a center of operations?"

"Yes. And if not, Victor must have a least went there. We're going to England, and when we get there, I'm going to need you to show us his house. We're going to have to tell everyone you're there and convince them you can help. There's no way around it. I won't know the way, and there's no use of me talking to you."

There was a brief pause. "Okay. I trust you."That was it. No complaining. No snide remark. No excuses. No doubt.

"I don't know what to do about Christian. If they find out he's with us, they'll send someone back to the academy with him and we can't afford to lose anyone."

"I don't think anyone could keep him from staying in England if Lissa's there," Adrian commented.

"I'll guess we'll deal with that when the time comes," I sighed.

There was a pause. "There is a reason I paged you," said Adrian.

I'd completely forgotten that he was the one who had paged me.

"I was able to speak with Lissa again last night. I got into her dream."

"How is she?" I asked anxiously.

"Better."

"What?" I asked. I couldn't have heard him right.

"Better," he repeated, his voice telling me that he was surprised as well. "She looks much better. She still couldn't speak to me, but she looked healthy enough."

"Weird," I mumbled, more to myself than Adrian.

"That's not the only weird thing about it. I didn't know what it meant at the time, but she had a card in her right hand. I guess she was trying to let me know about England in case you hadn't found her clue. But in her other hand she had a baby rattle."

"We already know about the pregnancy," I said, stating the obvious.

"I know. Maybe she's worried about baby?"

"But that's too easy. Anyone would be worried about their baby."

I couldn't help but feel there was something we were missing. Lissa would only show us things that were important at this stage in the game.

"Are you sure that it was only a rattle? There wasn't anything special about it?" I asked him.

There was a silence as he thought. "There was a picture of a crown on it. But other than that there was nothing special about it."

"Of course," I breathed. "Victor's after the baby."

I could almost hear the click of Adrian's brain. "The baby will be royalty. The next Dragomir. And the only Dragomir if Victor has anything to say about it."

* * *

**A/N - Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!**

**I was doing some other writing at the same time as this so it took a little longer to finish.**

**I hope it was worth the wait! Let me know!**

**Cheers,**

**I. Goddess  
**


	12. Chapter 12

"I have to admit something," I told Dimitri as he let me into his room.

He only had one bag, and he didn't bother to unpack it. He'd just showered and I could smell his cologne. I breathed in deeply. I'd almost forgotten he smelled so good.

"I didn't really find all that information on Taylor."

He raised his eyebrows. "No?"

I shook my head. "I had a little help."

"From who?"

"Adrian."

He stiffened. "So you called him at the school, and he helped you find all this information?"

"More like he followed us, and then I called him and he gave me all the information," I corrected.

"And you told him to go back to the school?"

I looked away. "Try, he followed us here to England."

"He what?"

He didn't raise his voice, but the way he growled it… It enforced it in the same way.

I held my hands up, trying to calm him down. "Before you freak out, I just want to say that he's the only one who can show us the way to Taylor's house. He can help us."

He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. I took a step or two back. He was on the verge of losing his perfectly kept control, and I wasn't all that sure how he'd react if he did lose it.

"Where is he now?" He voice was steady and even, but I could hear a touch of frustration in it too.

"One of the rooms," I said. "He told me he'd meet me in my room in…" I looked at my watch. "Two minutes, now."

"Let's go," he said, already out the door.

I took him to my room, and Adrian was already there. Again, rummaging through my stuff. Dimitri, who was pissed off enough as it was, walked up to Adrian, grabbed him by the back of his jacket, and through him onto the bed.

Adrian threw his hands up in a sign of surrender, and through on his cocky smile. "Parley?"

"You don't look through anyone's belongings without permission. Especially Rose's. Ever. Understand?"

He was leaning over the bed towards Adrian, so he could look him in the eyes. His voice was cold, intimidating and little more than a whisper. I chill ran through me, but Adrian merely frowned slightly and nodded. Dimitri pulled back, and his face lost some of its intensity.

"Rose tells me that you can show us the way to Ralph Taylor's house."

"Yes," Adrian said, getting up from the bed, only to be pushed back down again by Dimitri.

I wanted to tell Dimitri to calm down, but he had every right to be angry that Adrian was here. And Adrian could take care of himself…

"I'm not finished," he said. "You are going to show us where this house is. You are not going into the house. You will stay a safe distance away, preferably returning to the hotel."

I wasn't sure how Adrian would take to being ordered around like that, but he nodded again. I doubted that he would actually follow the orders, mostly I thought he was just humoring Dimitri.

They stared at each other, neither of them blinking. I cleared my throat and both of their gazes turned on me. "We also know what Victor's after. It's Lissa's baby."

Realization appeared in Dimitri's eyes for a split second, followed by confusion, and then they were blank again. "How do you know all this?"

"Well," I started, trying to think of a way for Dimitri to stop picking on Adrian, but there was no way around it. "Adrian, because he's a spirit user can go into the dreams of other people. He was able to find out information from Lissa through her dream."

Dimitri turned ferocious again, and said to Adrian, "Belongings include their dreams."

This time, Adrian didn't just stay silent. "If you don't want my help I can just leave."

He started towards the door, but I grabbed his arm, stopping him. "You can't leave Adrian, we need your help."

I gave Dimitri a sharp look behind Adrian's back, and he sighed. "Adrian, come back. I really do appreciate your help."

Adrian smiled and winked at me before turning around. "We should leave now."

Dimitri nodded. "The guardians are already waiting down in the lobby. So if you're coming, we're leaving now."

* * *

We all took a bus to the edge of the city. A double-decker bus, which would have been fun under other circumstances. Then we followed Adrian down a few roads that looked like they weren't used very often. Followed by some roads that looked like they hadn't been used for at least a few years.

There were a few times when Finn tried to grab my attention, but I ignored him and turned to say something to Dimitri instead. I used to like attention from lots of guys. Now, it was very inconvenient.

I loved Dimitri. I was sure of that, and there was nothing that could change it. When we were together, it felt right. He kept me on my toes, and I knew he loved me back.

I liked Adrian well enough, but he loved me. He was handsome, funny, and very generous to me. If Dimitri wasn't there, I would be showing more interest in him, for sure. But he'd have to stop the smoking and drinking so much.

I barely knew Finn. At first, I thought he was a jackass. Then, after I started talking to him, I found we had so much in common! He was comforting and nice. He'd make a great best friend. But not a boyfriend. Not for me, anyway.

"The house should be at the end of this road," Adrian said.

"Then you should go back now," Dimitri told him. "I don't want to be worrying about you while I try to get to Lissa."

"Something tells me he wouldn't be worrying about me," Adrian mumbled to me. "Can I at least see the house?"

Dimitri nodded. The house came into view. It was on top of a very large hill.

"You failed to mention that," I said gesturing at the hill.

Adrian shrugged. "Didn't seem important."

Dimitri looked at me and placed a finger to his lips. Then he frowned at Adrian, who rolled his eyes and began backing away.

Be careful. I love you, Dimitri mouthed at me.

My heart flipped and I went to say it back, but he was already leading everyone up the hill.

* * *

**A/N - Thanks for reading!**

**I. Goddess  
**


	13. Chapter 13

We strategically placed ourselves around the house. Finn and I stuck close to Dimitri, crouching near the front door. The others crept around back, and waited for the signal.

Ready? Dimitri mouthed at us.

We nodded. He peeked through the window of the front door. He obviously didn't see anything and waved at Finn. Finn took out a mirror and used a flashlight to shine it twice into the trees. A few moments later, a light flashed back at us. Everyone was in position.

Dimitri opened the door slowly, trying not to make any sound. When it was open enough for us to squeeze through he motioned for us to follow him.

The house wasn't quite what I expected it to be. It was very modern, with art hanging on the walls. The furniture was new and clean. Everything looked clean. It was fairly dark though, and almost all of the windows had curtains covering them. A sign that there were most likely Strigoi hanging around.

I couldn't hear any voices, and I couldn't help but wonder if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Did that mean Victor and Ralph weren't here? Was Lissa even here at all? If I could hear them at least the anxiety of wondering where to find them would go away.

Dimitri motioned for Finn and I to check the rooms upstairs, while he scoped out the rest of that floor. I didn't want to leave him down there by himself, but I knew that I couldn't go by myself, and Finn needed my help more than Dimitri.

I took the lead, leading Finn up a flight of stairs that lead to a hallway with four doors. The first one was open, showing a washroom that was completely empty. The second door was open slightly, and was also devoid of anything important.

The third and fourth doors were closed. I took one and Finn took the other. I pressed my ear against the door listening for any sign of movement. There was nothing, when I opened the door, there was no one inside. It looked like it was Taylor's study. It was full of books, and old newspaper articles. I didn't have time to look now, but if I could, I wanted to come back to this room. There might be some information about his wife, or other shadow-kissed people.

When I went back to the hall, Finn wasn't there. The door to the room he'd been checking was open slightly. I peeked in and saw two Strigoi. A male was keeping Finn still and had a hand clamped over his mouth to prevent him for screaming. The other, a female, was just about to start feasting.

Without warning, I jumped in, pulling out my stake. I knocked the female aside, and her head bounced off of a desk. She hissed in pain, but was right back to me before I get to the male. Luckily, my attack took the male by surprise, and he weakened his grip on Finn enough for him to have a fighting chance.

The female was very fast, and managed to dodge most of my attacks. I was just about to strike, when her hand came out and crashed into my temple, leaving me disoriented and dizzy. She had a malicious grin on her face as she walked up to me. There was no misreading the thirst in her eyes.

Suddenly she went up in a blaze of fire and smoke. She screeched and I felt like covering my ears because the sound was so awful. I whirled around, and saw that the male was burning too. Finn gave me a bewildered look, unsure of what was happening. I scanned the room and saw Christian in the doorway, a fierce snarl plastererd on his face.

"Way to go, Ozera!"

I recognized Adrian's smooth voice at once. He was peering over Christian's shoulder, looking impressed and a little bit disgusted.

"What are you two doing here?" I asked.

Adrian chuckled. "You didn't think we were going to hang back and watch did you? You know us better than that!"

Christian didn't say anything. He stared at me, his eyes filled with a worry so deep that I felt like crying as I looked into them.

Instead I looked away and groaned. I did know this was going to happen. And if Christian could do that to those Strigoi, then he could definitely help with what was coming, right?

Adrian walked closer to me, and whispered. "Are you okay?"

I nodded, which made me dizzy. "I'm fine."

Adrian raised his eyebrows. "Right.

I changed the subject. "Did you see Dimitri?"

Adrian shook his head. "We heard the banging and figured we'd help out."

I nodded, and lead the others back down to the first level. I scanned the room carefully. Nothing that hadn't been there before. Nothing dangerous. I looked into the kitchen, and couldn't see anything in there either. It did have a little door, that was open.

I pointed towards the door, and everyone nodded back at me. I started down. I saw the silhouette of someone coming up and I froze, holding out my hand to stop the others. I tensed, ready to jump at the person if need be, but as he got closer I realized it was Dimitri.

I think she's down here, Dimitri mouthed. I was coming to get you.

I nodded up at Christian and Adrian. Dimitri's eyes widened in surprise, then narrowed in fury. Finally, he rolled them, and motioned for them to follow. He must have realized nothing was going to stop them from coming.

I saw a bright light from the bottom, which told me we'd have to be extra careful about where we were now that they could really see us.

As we got closer to the bottom, I heard voices. I turned back to the others and put a finger to my lips. We were going to have to be very quiet.

"Vasilisa, are you quite sure you don't want anything to eat?" That was Victor's voice. "We've got plenty of humans here at our disposal."

"I don't want any."

Lissa! My heart soared at the sound of her voice. I was relieved that she was still alive, and obviously well enough to speak.

"Come now, you haven't eaten anything for at least two days!"

"I'm not hungry."

We were at the bottom of the stairs. I held my breath, not wanting anything to give us away.

"Well, in that case, you have visitors."

Visitors? Who else knew she was here?

"Rosemarie, don't be shy. I know you're anxious to see her."

* * *

**A/N - And here we go! I don't know how many chapters are left, but we're heading for the climax now!**

**Please keep your hands inside the vehicle at all times, and enjoy the ride!**

**Cheers,**

**I. Goddess  
**


	14. Chapter 14

My eyes widened. I glanced at Dimitri, but he was just as surprised as I was. I figured there was no use staying hidden, so I motioned for everyone to stay back, and I stepped out into the light.

Victor smiled brilliantly when he saw me. "Now that wasn't so bad, was it?"

"Rose!" Lissa cried when she saw me. "You came! I knew you could—"

"Now, now! I'm afraid I can't let you talk to her." He walked over and gagged her.

I gritted my teeth. My eyes quickly took in the sight of Lissa. She was sitting on a tiny bed with blankets pulled up around her. She looked alright. She was definitely thinner since the last time I'd seen her, and she was very pale, but she was alive.

Then I took in the rest of my surroundings. The basement was huge. It was much larger than the house, and looked like it covered the whole hill. There wasn't much down here of importance that I could see. Besides the bed Lissa was on, the only piece of furniture was a chair that Victor was standing next to. There were plenty of boxes filled with miscellaneous items. There were tons of books on the shelves and many were piled on the ground. There weren't any Strigoi that I could see.

There were humans chained up along the wall, at least ten of them. They were hardly wearing any clothing and looked like they hadn't eaten a good meal in weeks. But other than them, it looked like we were alone down here.

"What do you think?" he asked, gesturing grandly around him. "Ralph Taylor knew what he was doing when he built this place, didn't he?"

"You're not going to win," I told Victor, taking a small step closer. I was trying to get as close as I could to Lissa.

"I wouldn't be so certain of yourself. I have a few tricks up my sleeve yet," he warned.

"So do I."

He smiled. "You never change, Rosemarie."

"Quit calling me that."

He shrugged. I was almost close enough to reach for her, when Victor held out an arm. "I'm afraid you can't touch her, only look at what you can't save."

I moved back. There was no use trying to get any closer.

"I'm not going to let you abuse her powers like that again," I frowned.

Victor merely laughed. "I don't need her for that. Not yet. I've been healed as much as I need to be by Mr Taylor, for now. She will be of use later, though."

I clenched my fists at my side. I had to keep him talking because if Dimitri was trying to do something, and I'm sure he was, I didn't want Victor to notice him.

"You need the baby," I said.

"Very good." He nodded at me in approval. "And why would I need the baby?"

"It will be a Dragomir heir. You want to use the child to control the Moroi Court."

He nodded slowly. "Yes and no."

I raised my eyebrows at him questioningly.

"That child might inherit its mother's spirit using abilities. Then, I can raise the child to work for me. The spirit element will allow me to stay healthy."

I tried my hardest not to look in Dimitri's direction, since that would give him away, but I wanted to see what he was doing.

"How did you even know Lissa was pregnant? Practically no one knew!"

"I don't know how much you know, but Ralph Taylor was also a spirit user," Victor started. "He was able to communicate through dreams. He contacted me, and made a deal with me. If he broke me out of prison, I would help him to rule over the Moroi. So, he contacted Lissa, and told her that he was a spirit user, and that he had information for her, but he didn't want to be seen by the others. He told her a sappy story about how after his wife committed suicide he wasn't excepted by normal society any more." His lip curled up into a sneer. "And she believed him. Walked right out of her room and into the arms of waiting Strigoi."

That was why the room and been so neat. No one had come to get her, she had left for herself!

"It wasn't until after Lissa was kidnapped that Taylor helped me escape from prison. That way, I couldn't personally be found guilty at abducting her," he finished.

The fact that Victor couldn't have kidnapped her had never occurred to me. I had assumed it was him from the beginning, and hadn't stopped to think that it might not have been.

I looked at Lissa, and the way she was looking at the floor told me the whole story was true. At least for the most part.

"Why did Ralph need you to help him rule over the Moroi?" I asked.

"He wasn't as familiar as I am with the rules of Moroi society. He needed me to get him to the top."

Then I realized something. "You're talking about him as if…"

Victor grinned cruelly. "As if he's dead? I can't say that it's a coincidence. He is dead." My face must have betrayed my surprise because he continued. "You should be thanking him. He saved Vasilisa and her baby. She was refusing most, if not all, of the blood we were offering her. She was killing not only herself but the baby too. When we realized that she was going to have a miscarriage, Taylor said that he would heal the baby. I guess he didn't realize that the baby was already dead. When he went to heal it, it drained him of all of his energy. Also, he didn't realize it, but in order to help the baby, he had to heal Lissa as well."

I couldn't believe it. Ralph Taylor was gone? Lissa had almost lost the baby! She had lost the baby!

"I didn't need him. I was going to get rid of him eventually anyways, but now I don't have to."

"How can you wait that long? You're going to have to wait for the child to grow first. You have to wait for another eighteen years!"

He smiled. "Not everyone is as impatient as you are."

"And what about the Strigoi?" I asked. "How did you get them to work with you? If you want to control the Moroi, that doesn't give them any reason to help you."

"I won't be head of the Moroi for long. As soon as I have enough control over them, they will all be turned into Strigoi, and the Strigoi will take over the human race. They will be the dominant leaders of the world, as they were always meant to be, and I will lead them."

I finally understood. This was a take over the world thing, and he had it all figured out.

* * *

**A/N - This is so exciting to write! Hope you enjoy it! **

**I want to thank everyone so much for reading and reviewing! I can't tell you how happy it makes me!**

**Cheers,**

**I. Goddess  
**


	15. Chapter 15

"Enough idle chit-chat," Victor said, finally breaking the silence. "Say your good-byes now, girls. Rose, I'm afraid I can't let you leave. Well, not alive anyways."

I was about to run forward, when Finn jumped up and grabbed Victor from behind. I felt a hand on my arm, and jumped back, but it was only Dimitri. He grabbed my hand and began pulling me toward the door, but I pulled back.

"We need to get Lissa!" I cried.

"I can't let you stay down here, he's going to kill you!" Dimitri said. His eyes were wide and for the first time since I'd known him, they were vulnerable.

"I'm not going to leave her down here!"

I turned to run back to her, and saw that Christian and Adrian were already there. I looked frantically back to Finn and he was struggling hard against Victor. I was going to run over and help, but Dimitri got there before I did.

Then a couple of things happened at once. Dimitri punched Victor in the face so hard that Finn lost his grip, and Victor stumbled back, falling into the shadows. At the same time, five Strigoi came flying down the stairs towards me.

I didn't hesitate to attack. In fact, I ran towards them, leaping into the air, stake raised high. The first one didn't have a chance in hell of escaping me. He managed to give me a pretty deep cut on my left arm, but it didn't take long for me to shove the stake through his heart. I fought back the urge to spit on the body as I pulled the stake out.

The other four were intercepted by Finn and Dimitri on their way over. Each of them were fighting two Strigoi, and I knew that Finn didn't stand a chance against both of them. I didn't even know if Dimitri could handle them.

"Christian," I yelled. "Help us!"

He raised his head. He looked a little confused, as if he'd forgotten the rest of the world existed. When he took in the Strigoi, his eyes narrowed and he sprinted over.

"Can you do the flame thing you did earlier on these Strigoi?" I asked, hurriedly.

He nodded. I looked up at the Strigoi, just as two of them went up in flames.

"Christian, maybe you should keep the flames to a minimum," I told him. "We don't want to burn the house down."

"They just make me so angry," he said in barely a whisper. "Lissa's been around them for the past few days, and who knows what they've been doing to her." He shuddered and closed his eyes.

I felt a flood of sympathy go through me, and not for the first time, I was glad Dimitri was able to defend himself.

Suddenly Dimitri was at my side. He took my shoulders and turned me towards him. I hissed in pain. "Are you alright?" he asked. He looked at my arm. "Oh Roza!"

I shook him off. "I'm fine. Are you okay?" He shrugged.

"What about Finn?"

"He's taking care of the others. They're incapacitated for the time being, so it shouldn't be too difficult for him."

Christian was already back with Lissa. He was trying to find a way to get her out of the old-fashioned shackles that he'd found on her feet.

Adrian was on his way over. "Rose!"

He pulled me into a tight embrace. "I was so worried," he murmured in my ear.

I gave him a quick hug, and pulled back, glancing quickly at Dimitri. "I'm okay. You're okay, too?"

Adrian nodded. "More or less."

"Well isn't this sweet?" I jumped, as Victor unexpectedly sauntered out of the shadows. His face was smeared with blood. "Little Rosemarie has some admirers!"

Dimitri and Adrian stole a quick glance at each other. I could feel the testosterone building up, but I tried to ignore it.

"Hey Rose, I finished with the—" Finn started, but stopped when he saw Victor. He glanced at me, then frowned at Victor.

"Another one?" Victor asked, gesturing towards Finn.

He drew himself up. "It's Finn."

Victor bowed gallantly. "My apologies." Then he turned to me. "Three lovers? I'm quite impressed with you!"

I glared at him, but didn't say a word. After all, he wasn't completely wrong. I really didn't know what was going on with my love life.

"This makes everything so much easier! Here I thought I was going to have to deal with a whole bunch of guardians, and as it turns out, I'm only going to have to deal with a couple of teenage Moroi."

Finn was the first one of us to ask what he was talking about. Victor just smiled.

Something touched my back. Actually, to be more accurate, something caressed my back. I whirled around and Adrian met my eyes.

"Rose…" he murmured, and bent and kissed my neck. I melted in his arms. The kiss felt just right. His hands trailed lightly down my good arm, leaving a trail of tingles in its wake.

Then another pair of hands pulled me away from Adrian. I whimpered at the loss, but that was quickly replaced by a warmth. Dimitri's lips were on mine, in a passionate kiss. His tongue touched mine, and the kiss deepened. I had to break the kiss to breathe, and was pulled away again.

Finn was the only one that I didn't really know all that well. He didn't even hesitate before he attached his mouth to my shoulder. It was nice, but it was nothing like Adrian or Dimitri. I tried to pull away.

"Hawkins!" That was Dimitri. "Can't you see she doesn't want you doing that?"

"I'll be back," he whispered in my ear, before going to deal with Dimitri.

I didn't get to see what happened before Adrian was back. He picked me up and laid me gently on the ground. One hand stayed behind my head, keeping it from the hard floor. He kissed my forehead gently, and kissed his way down to my jawbone, as his other hand worked with my shirt. He pulled it off, and moved the kisses from my jaw to my neck. My head fell back, and he placed more kisses in places he couldn't reach before.

Then he was pulled off of me. I sat up, wondering what was going on. The first thing I saw was Victor and Christian. They were having some sort of fight over by the bed, but that didn't matter right now. I glanced around again, and saw Finn and Adrian going at it too.

I pulled myself to my feet. There was someone missing. I turned to look behind me for Dimitri, wanting to feel his lips on mine. Suddenly, nothing seemed more important. He was standing behind me. His eyes were glazed over with lust, but there was something else behind that. I stepped towards him, reaching out to him.

His arm came up and I closed my eyes, waiting for the touch I craved. All of a sudden there was a pain so sharp and excruciating in my stomach. I fell to my knees gasping for air, tears pouring down my face. The room was spinning and was fading in and out. I looked up at Dimitri, but he had a slight smile on his face, and his expression was one of relief.

Betrayed by love, I thought, in a sudden burst of clear thinking. What were the chances?

Then I passed out.

* * *

**A/N - Let me know what you think! I hope you liked it!**

**As far as Rose knows, the baby is fine. It was dead, but then Ralph brought it back to life. That's all she knows.  
**

**Thanks for reading! **

**Cheers,**

**I. Goddess  
**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N- Before you read this chapter, I'd like to let you know that over the next couple of chapters, I'm going to be clearing up and few questions you might have. Please be patient with me!  
**

* * *

When I woke up, I kept my eyes shut. My head was pounding. I lifted a stiff arm to my head and felt around the back. I flinched when I hit a particularly sore spot. I took a deep breath, trying to lessen the headache.

I finally opened my eyes, and I had to blink multiple times to let my eyes adjust to the light. It looked like I was in a hotel room. There was a man sitting in the corner of the room in a chair, asleep. It was Dimitri.

Suddenly, a whole bunch of memories flooded back at once. Starting with finding Victor in the basement and ending with the relief that had been on Dimitri's face before I'd passed out.

What had happened? Was Lissa okay? What about Christian and Adrian? Or Finn? Was Dimitri a good guy or a bad guy? He hadn't seemed all that upset when I was taken out of action. Didn't he love me?

I tried to stand up, to have the advantage when he woke up. There was a sharp pain in my stomach, and I was very light-headed. I gasped, and sat back down on the bed.

Dimitri stirred in the corner. When he saw that I was awake, he jumped up and ran to my side. I glared at him, and moved over on the bed, despite the pain it caused me.

His eyes showed his confusion, but a split-second later came the shame. He moved away from the bed and looked away from me.

"I'm so sorry, Roza," he whispered.

"Where am I? What are you doing here?"

"You're at our hotel in Liverpool. I took you here after the fight with Victor." He must have been able to see the suspicion in my eyes because he was continued. "I won't hurt you. You can trust me, Roza."

I relaxed a little, but I was still apprehensive. "What did you do to me? It's your fault why my stomach hurts, isn't it?"

He flinched at my words, and I knew I'd really hurt him. "Yes," he whispered. "It's my fault. I stabbed you."

I realized that I hadn't even looked at my stomach to see how bad the wound really was. I lifted my shirt, but there wasn't a gaping, bloody hole. There was only a large bruise. Gaping hole or no, it still hurt a lot to touch.

Seeing my injury changed something inside me. The truth of what Dimitri had done finally sunk in. I felt tears gathering in my eyes, and I tried to blink them back.

"That hurt," I told him, looking straight into his eyes. I wasn't just talking about my stomach anymore. I was talking about how he'd betrayed me, but I'm pretty sure he knew that.

He was close to tears himself. "I know."

"Why did you do it? I think you owe me that."

He sighed and sat down at the edge of the bed. "What do you remember?"

I closed my eyes. "Victor had come out from the shadows. Then I…" Oh dear. I'd made out with three different guys.

He took my hand. "You don't have to tell me. What's the last thing you remember?"

"I was in a lot of pain. And I saw you. You looked… happy?"

He nodded slowly. "Yes, but it's not what you think. I think it was another lust spell. But much stronger." I didn't say anything, waiting for him to continue. "Do you remember how you felt before I hurt you?"

_Nothing seemed more important. _"Yes. I remember."

"I felt exactly the same way. There was nothing else I wanted to do but touch you and make you happy. I couldn't remember anything else. But then something changed and I realized that this wasn't natural. There was something that wasn't right about what I was doing. What Adrian, Finn, and I were doing to you."

"But why did you stab me?"

He shook his head. "It's hard explain it. It was like my feeling towards you, but towards stabbing you instead. I don't know why, but I needed to do it. After I stabbed you, I was able to think clearly again. Adrian and Finn were able to think clearly again too. I told Adrian to take care of you, and I went to help Christian with Victor. I was happy that the spell was broken."

I'd forgotten about Victor! "Did we catch him?"

"He's dead."

My heart soared, and I broke into a grin. "Really?"

He smiled. "Nobody comes between Christian and Lissa."

The grin faded away. "I was scared I'd lost you. To Victor, I mean. I thought you'd changed sides."

"I would never," he whispered. "I couldn't—"

"Hurt me?" I finished, glimpsing at my stomach. "I think you can understand my reasoning."

He placed his forehead gently against mine. "I should have just found the strength. I could have found another way."

I knew I was being irrational, but these terrible things kept pouring out of my mouth. I don't know why he did what he did, but he seemed genuinely upset. He'd really scared me, though.

"You could have died. I could have lost you." It seemed like he was talking more to himself than to me. "If I could go back and do it over…"

Something wet fell onto my face. I reached up and wiped the wetness away with my finger.

"Are you crying?" I asked, examining the water drop on my finger.

He stood up, and turned away from me. "All my life I've been taught that emotions are a weakness, and that they need to be concealed. No one has ever affected me enough to pull them out of me. Except for you. You make me vulnerable, Roza." I could feel a tear running down my face now. "Every time I look at you, I feel this urge to pour my soul out to you, which makes me pull back. I'm not used to having someone know me as well as you do. But I trust you and I hope you trust me."

He turned around, but this time his eyes were dry. I wiped my face, and held out my arms. He wrapped his arms around me, gently, so as not to press on my stomach.

"I trust you with my life," I whispered. I wasn't as good with words as he was, but I think I got the message across.

* * *

**A/N - Hope you liked it!**

**Comments? Queries? Concerns?**

**Cheers,**

**I. Goddess  
**


	17. Chapter 17

"Rose?"

Lissa's head was poking through the door. I quickly wiped away any remaining tears that were on my face, and smiled at her.

"Come in," I said. "All of you."

She smiled, and opened the door wider to show Christian, Adrian and Finn waiting on the other side. They all looked much better than I did. A few bruises and cuts but nothing major. Lissa especially looked much better than the last time I'd seen her. She held her hand over her stomach, as if subconsciously trying to protect the growing child within her.

"I'll wait outside," Dimitri said quietly. Then he looked directly at me. "But I'll be back." Pleasant shivers ran down my spine.

Adrian wore his lazy grin as usual. "We thought you were a goner."

I rolled my eyes, but it was Christian who spoke. "Not Rose. She's a trooper," he said, winking at me.

Lissa laughed and flung herself onto me. I gasped when she collided with my stomach, sending a pain that shot right up into my head. She pulled back.

"Oh Rose! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean for this to happen to you! Let me help you!"

I shook my head. "I'm fine, and you shouldn't waste your powers on me. Besides, there's nothing you could have done about it."

She looked at the floor. "Well, actually, it's my fault that your hurt."

I raised my eyebrows sceptically. "And how would you have done that when you were chained to a bed on the other side of the room?"

"I used compulsion on Dimitri. That's why he stabbed you."

I blinked. "You wanted him to stab me?"

Her eyes widened. "No, of course not! But when the four of you were…" she paused, looking for the right word, "occupied, Victor was explaining to Christian and I how the lust spell worked. He said that the person needed to have feelings for you to begin with, and you for them, but this time he didn't need to put it in necklace. Although I don't know what he meant by this time." I frowned and shrugged my shoulders, feigning ignorance. I didn't want to talk about it. "Anyways," she continued, "you were the one who was pulling their feelings out. Not just because they liked you, but the spell was made so that your consciousness heightened their feelings for you."

"Which is why I didn't come running," Christian teased. "Actually, I almost felt as if I was being pulled in the opposite direction…"

Lissa punched him in the arm, but I just laughed.

"In order to have a fighting chance, I needed to get you to fall asleep or lose consciousness or something. I tried to use compulsion on you to make you fall asleep, but there was something in the way. I couldn't get into your mind."

"Which reminds me," I said. "I haven't been able to feel anything through the bond lately." I paused, trying it out, and there she was. I could feel her shame and her relief and her love. "It's fine now, though."

"I know about that, too," she said. "Ralph Taylor put a cloak or something on your mind. I don't really understand all that much about it, but it was very strong. When you were climbing up to my room, he was outside waiting. I don't know how he knew that you were going to be outside. The cloak kept you from feeling any of my emotions and stuff, so you wouldn't know where I was, but the side effect was that no one could get into your mind either."

"You had to stab me, so I'd lose enough blood to pass out, and everyone would be free," I finished. Dimitri hadn't really stabbed me. He hadn't had a choice!

She nodded meekly. Waves of shame were rolling over me.

"Stop feeling bad," I ordered her, closing my eyes to help with the nausea. "You couldn't help it, and you probably saved everyone's life. Including mine."

She gave me a small smile, and Christian put his arm around her. They looked happy. I hoped they'd never have to be separated again. Especially since Christian was much easier to get along with when Lissa was around. When you didn't know them, they looked like an odd couple, but I knew that they fit each other like a glove.

"Wait, a minute. If you stabbed me, shouldn't I have a stab wound or something? My stomach hurts and everything, but there's no actual wound," I asked looking at it again, just to make sure I hadn't missed it.

Everyone turned to Adrian, who smiled. "I wasn't about to let you die. Once you fainted, I had to stop the bleeding, so I healed you."

Lissa smiled brilliantly. "He used his element! He can heal now!"

"Not very well..." he mumbled. "You still need to heal on the inside."

I took all of that in. It took me almost dying to pull the healing powers out of him. Did I mean that much to him? He'd saved me. The whole time Adrian was watching me carefully, waiting for my reaction.

"Thank you," I whispered. "I owe you one."

I caught a glimpse of something in his eyes, but then he smirked and it was gone. "Trust me, I'll hold you to that."

At least I knew what had happened now. But I felt like there was something important that I was missing.

"I just have one question left," I said. "Lissa, why did you go by yourself? Why didn't you take anyone with you? Or tell someone where you were going?"

She frowned. "I did. I told the guardian outside that I wanted to go for a walk outside. He said he'd be here when I got back."

"What kind of guardian—" I started angrily, but was interrupted by a crash.

Adrian had tackled Finn and was punching him the face. I'd forgotten Finn was even there, he'd been so quiet, and then I realized why. Finn was the missing piece.

* * *

**A/N - I'm sorry this chapter took so long to get up! I'm in the middle of exams, and it's been hard to get enough study time in as it is. **

**I managed to get this put together though, so enjoy!**

**Let me know what you think!**

**Cheers,**

**I. Goddess  
**


	18. Chapter 18

"You fucking jerk!" Adrian was shouting at him now, as well as punching him. "It was you all along!"

I hopped out of bed, all signs of illness gone, and ran over to Adrian. "Stop it!"

When he heard my voice he hesitated, but didn't look at me. He kept his eyes focused on Finn, as if he thought he'd vanish if he looked away.

"He helped kidnap her, Rose," he said in a barely controlled voice. "He was the guardian outside."

"I'm sorry!" Finn cried. "I didn't want any of this to happen!"

"But you did help," I stated quietly.

He nodded. "I did help."

Adrian pulled his fist back to start punching again, but I grabbed it. "Stop!"

"Rose is right, let him explain." Dimitri was back in the room again. He must have heard the commotion.

I pulled Adrian off of Finn, and motioned for Finn to start.

"Back at my old school, I had a twin sister, Dawn. We were doing training there too. We were assigned to Moroi, just like here, and we were expected to guard them." He swallowed hard. "One day, my sister and her Moroi went missing. They just vanished. The school sent people out looking for them, and I helped. But they gave up. After a month, they couldn't afford to keep the best guardians away from the school anymore, so they just stopped looking for them, and assumed they were dead. I knew she wasn't dead. I could feel it, but they wouldn't let me stay on the case."

He paused closing his eyes and taking deep breaths. He probably hadn't told anyone this before.

"I started to lose faith in being a guardian. If they just gave up like that, how would they ever get anything done? How could they just leave someone out there to die? I stopped training, and moped around a lot. I guess I just couldn't handle it. The guardians decided that I might have better luck at another school, that maybe the guardians there could help me out. So I changed schools. I boarded a flight, and sat beside this weird guy on the plane. He told me that he knew where my sister was. At first I just ignored him, but then he explained that he was a spirit user, and that he could communicate with almost anyone using their dreams. He told me he had talked to my sister."

"Was this Ralph Taylor?" Dimitri asked.

Finn nodded. "He told me that if I helped him find Vasilisa Dragomir, that he would help me find my sister. I thought that was a pretty good deal. I thought he just wanted to talk to her. When I first got to the school, I spent a few days wandering around. I was collecting as much information as I could to help me. I found out that Eddie was guarding Lissa, and that I needed to take his spot. I told Taylor that, and the next day, Eddie had badly broken his leg. They needed someone to take his spot, and since I didn't have anyone to guard, they assigned me to her."

I looked at Dimitri, who was nodding thoughtfully. So far his story lined up with what he knew.

"The night before my first day, I saw Adrian and Lissa hanging out in the lounge downstairs. I figured that he knew something about her that would help me. So when he came out of his room later that night, I started talking to him on his way down to Rose's room. I gave him a beer, and then a few more, and soon he was telling me all about Lissa's pregnancy, and that she was a spirit user. After a few hours of talking, we parted ways, and I told Taylor what I'd learned. That's how he was ready outside to cloak Rose's mind. I didn't know he'd do that."

"So it's my fault that Taylor changed his plans?" Adrian asked, quietly.

"Not really," Finn said. "It's my fault for telling him."

"Why don't I remember any of this?" he asked, still upset.

"Taylor used compulsion, right?" I asked.

Finn nodded and continued. "On my first day guarding her, Rose was already a huge problem. She was obviously the best guardian here, and I wasn't used to anyone being better then I was. I didn't really know who she was, but my instincts were telling me that she was going to get in the way. And she did in the hallway later that day. When Dimitri told me that I was being released from my duties. I was furious. I went back later that night and told him that I wanted to make up for what I'd done, so he gave me another chance. That night was the night Ralph Taylor contacted Lissa. She told me she was going to go for a walk, and I said I'd wait for her inside, just like Taylor told me to. If I went out, he said he wouldn't help me find Dawn. I didn't think he was dangerous. I just wanted my sister back, so I let her go alone."

I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. There were definitely better ways to have handled the problem, but he must have been confused. I couldn't bring myself to hate him for what he did.

"When Lissa didn't come back, I checked her room. She wasn't there. I told Dimitri that I didn't know or hear anything, when he found out she was missing. I didn't want to believe that Taylor had taken her."

"Why didn't you just tell them about Taylor?" Christian asked. He didn't seem upset either, just curious. "I mean, wouldn't that have helped find her?"

"I guess I thought Taylor might still help me find my sister. You've got to understand, I was really desperate. And I didn't know where was he anyways."

Christian nodded.

"By this time the guilt started to kick in. I'd just helped kidnap one of the most prominent Moroi, and all because I had a feeling that Dawn was still alive, and that I might get her back. I went with the search party to help find Lissa, and to confront Taylor. I wasn't going to play any more of his games. At this point, I just wanted to save Lissa, and get some answers. I was going to demand to know where my sister was, but he was already dead. You know the rest. I didn't mess anything else up. I helped as much as I could."

I wanted to believe him, and I think everyone else did too. I wish he could have found his sister.

* * *

**A/N - I hope the story is keeping your interest!**

**There are still more answers coming up! There are some love issues that need to be addressed I think!  
**

**Thanks for reading, again!**

**Cheers,**

**I. Goddess  
**


	19. Chapter 19

"I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry," Finn whispered.

Even after Adrian had gotten off of him, Finn was still on the floor. No body else said anything. We were all still trying to digest what he had just told us. It was a lot to take in. We trusted him, and then he lost our trust, and now might have gained it back again. His story seemed plausible, but could we take his word just like that?

Dimitri coughed. "I think I might be able to help."

I didn't think it was possible for the room to get any more quiet or tense. Everyone turned towards Dimitri.

"There were some people chained up in the basement at Taylor's. They were pretty beaten up, but they weren't all human like Victor said they were. One was a dhampir. I thought she looked awfully familiar, but we couldn't get her name out of her. She just kept murmuring 'I need to find Radimir' over and over again."

Finn jumped to his feet. "That's the Moroi she was supposed to be guarding. Radimir. Take me to her. Please."

Dimitri shook his head. "No. She needs to rest. We have a few of our nurses treating her now. She lost a lot of blood when she was with them."

I shuddered. They had been feeding from her.

"I want to see her. I need to see her," Finn protested. "I need to see if it's her."

Dimitri stared at him for a minute, contemplating whether or not to let him near her.

I touched Dimitri's arm lightly. "Let him see her. It could be his sister," I whispered.

Dimitri looked at me, and nodded after a moment. "I'll take you to her."

Finn gave him a shaky smile. "Thank you."

When Dimitri led him out of the room, we all followed.

"You can't all come," Dimitri told us. "This girl needs her rest."

"But we want to see her too," Lissa whispered. I knew she didn't want to cause any trouble, but she needed proof. We all needed proof.

Dimitri shook his head. "This is something I can't allow. I can only take Finn because he's related to her."

Out of nowhere, Finn spoke up. "Let a couple of them come. They deserve to know if I'm telling the truth or not, after everything. I want them to believe me."

Dimitri sighed, and tried to stare at us until we listened to him. When it didn't work he said, "Fine, but only two of you."

"Rose should go," Lissa said at once. "She's been with him the most."

Everyone else nodded as well, and I was relieved. I wanted to be there when he saw her.

"Adrian should come too," Finn said. Everyone, even Dimitri was surprised. "He's the one who's most skeptical of me. He's the one who would be least likely to trust me. If I can convince him I'm telling the truth, it wouldn't be that hard for the rest of you to believe it."

It was logical, and apparently Lissa and Christian agreed. They didn't look like they wanted to be parted from each other anyways.

Dimitri drove the three of us to the hospital where the dhampir girl was being looked after. He led us through the hospital to a section that was made especially for dhampir and Moroi. Of course, the humans didn't know that, but they weren't likely to snoop around in a hospital.

The room Dimitri took us to had a window so you could look in and see the patient. The girl laying there had an uncanny resemblance to Finn, and I knew that this was her. They had the same black hair, and shocking blue eyes. She wasn't asleep but she hardly noticed anything around her. She mostly stared at the ceiling. There were lots of different tubes and wires hooked up to her, but she seemed stable. She had cuts all over her face and arms, but none of them looked serious.

"You two wait out here," Dimitri told Adrian and me. "I'm going to take Finn in to see her."

We nodded, and silently watched Finn approach the girl laying there. He was saying something to her, probably telling her who he was. She didn't even move. He touched her arm, and tried again. The girl turned her head towards him, looking him up and down. Then she looked back up to the ceiling and began to cry. Finn wrapped his arms around her. He said something else to her, and she looked at us through the window. I looked at Adrian, to see what his reaction was, but he wouldn't take his eyes off the girl.

"He wants us to go in," Adrian said.

I looked back at the window and Finn was smiling, crying and waving us into the room. I looked at Dimitri to make sure it was okay, and he nodded his consent.

I felt like an intruder walking into the room. I didn't want to interrupt, but they didn't seem to mind.

"Guys, this is my sister, Dawn," Finn introduced. "Dawn, I want you to meet, Rose Hathaway, and Adrian Ivashkov. They helped find where you were, and helped save you. And in the corner is Guardian Dimitri Belikov. He helped save you too, and brought me here to see you."

"I didn't do anything, really. Mostly just got in the way, but it's nice to meet you," I said, smiling slightly. "It was Adrian who found the house, and Dimitri saved you. And lots of other people, too."

The other two stayed quiet. They were watching the two of them very closely.

Dawn looked at us for a minute, then said, "Thank you. Thank you for helping me and my brother."

Her voice was hoarse, like something had been damaged, and there were still tears running down her cheeks.

Looking at this scene, there was no doubt in my mind that Finn's story was true. He had hardly taken his eyes of his sister since he entered the room, as if looking away would separate them again. He looked up at me, and he smiled. His eyes still held unshed tears, but he had stopped crying.

"You don't understand how much this means to me," he said, "to finally have my sister back.

I felt tears brimming in my eyes too, but I blinked them back. "I believe you, Finn."

* * *

**A/N - I'M SO SORRY! I LOST MY INTERNET AND COULDN'T PUT THIS UP!**

**I JUST GOT IT BACK! PLEASE DON'T HATE ME!**

**If you never want to read anything of mine again, I understand...**

**For those faithful few, thank you for waiting so patiently!**

**I hope this isn't a disappointing return!**

**Cheers,**

**I. Goddess.**


	20. Chapter 20

Adrian and I stayed only to ask a few questions to be sure of what had happened. After a while, a nurse came to shoo us away. Finn wanted to stay at the hospital until he could see Dawn again, and Dimitri couldn't just let him stay by himself. We didn't want to be in the way, so we were taking a bus back to the hotel. We'd already gotten the story anyways.

To make a long story short, Dawn and Radimir were kidnapped by Taylor, in his first attempts to learn about Moroi rules. When Radimir refused to say anything, Taylor killed him. Dawn wouldn't tell him anything either, but instead of killing her, he used her for her blood and chained her up with the humans in the basement.

Adrian hadn't said a word since we left, which was odd. Unnatural even.

"What do you think?" I asked, trying to coax something out of him. "Do you think he's telling the truth?"

Adrian turned to me. "Hmm?"

I frowned. "Are you all right?"

He nodded, although he didn't look like he was paying much attention to me.

"I asked if you thought Finn was telling the truth or not."

"Well, he obviously is. She knew who he was, their stories connected and he looked like he was genuinely crying."

I nodded in agreement. We sat in silence for the rest of the trip back. It was unusual to sit next to Adrian, and not have him trying to hit on me, or even talking to me. Did I do something wrong?

Christian and Lissa were waiting at the front doors when we arrived.

"So?" Christian asked when we were back in my room. "Is he a liar?"

Adrian shook his head. "Nope. It really was his sister."

Lissa sighed in relief. "Thank goodness. I like him."

"Are you positive?" Christian asked. "I like him too, I just want to be sure."

"Yup," I replied. "She knew who he was, and their stories matched. They looked exactly the same. Definitely twins. "

"They didn't look exactly the same," said Adrian. I couldn't tell if he knew he was talking out loud or not, since he was looking off into space. "Her hair was longer. And her eyes have the same fierceness that Rose's have."

Christian, Lissa and I exchanged a glance. "I guess so. I didn't get a good look at her," I said.

Adrian continued like he hadn't heard me at all. "She looked so fragile when you first look at her," he said. "But if you really look, you can tell she's a fighter."

"Of course," I said, a little suspicious now. "She had to have been if she survived what Victor put her through."

Finally he blinked and looked at me. "Do you think she'll be okay?" He looked upset.

"I'm sure she'll be fine," I reassured him. "She looked pretty good when we were there."

He nodded absentmindedly. "I suppose you're right. She'll be fine."

Suddenly Christian broke out a fit of laughter. That took Adrian out of his trace.

"What?" he asked Christian, angrily.

Christian grinned. "You like her."

"What?!" It wasn't until I noticed everyone staring at me that I realized it was me who said it. "How can you tell?"

"He noticed everything about her," explained Christian. "And he cares. Really cares. I know, it's the same way I felt when I didn't know if Lissa was going to make it."

I looked at Adrian, who was frowning now. As if uncertain of himself.

"But he just met her, how can he like her?"

"Love works in mysterious ways," Lissa said dreamily.

"You aren't jealous, are you Rose?" Christian teased.

"No, of course not."

But that was a lie and I knew it. It was me that had his attention for so long. Now he sees this girl for the first time, and suddenly he's all over her? It wasn't that I liked him. I loved Dimitri, and nothing was going to change that. I hated to admit it, but if Adrian really did like Dawn, I was going to miss him chasing after me.

"Rose, can I talk to you for a second?" Adrian asked.

"Yeah, sure," I replied, nervous. It felt like I was going to get dumped, which was ridiculous, since Adrian and I weren't dating.

Christian snickered, and Lissa pulled him out of the room, so we could have some privacy.

"Listen," Adrian started. "You know I've always had a thing for you."

"It was a little hard to miss."

He smiled. "I guess I came off a little strong, but what can I say? I know what I want."

"Do you really know what you want?" I asked him.

He looked at his feet. "I really like you. You can keep up with me, and you understand me. And no matter how much you deny it, I know that you care about me."

I nodded.

"The thing is," he continued, "you already have someone who loves you, and I know that you're never going to give him up."

I nodded again. I didn't want to go through this, but it had to be done.

"And this other dhampir happened across my way. She reminds me a little bit of you, but there's something else about her, too. Something that draws me in. I felt it with you, but this is different." He ran his fingers through his hair. "It's hard to explain. It's more somehow."

I put my hand on his. "I understand. It's like that for me with Dimitri. It's terrible of me to wish for you to chase after me forever."

He laughed. "You don't wish that. And besides, I'm the selfish and arrogant one, remember?"

"Nope," I said. "You're charming and sensitive."

"And handsome. Don't forget that."

I rolled my eyes. "You're pushing it," I said, but smiled in acknowledgment. "I don't want you to miss out on love for me. I'm not worth it."

He held out his arms, and I hugged him. "You'll always be my little dhampir, Rose."

* * *

**A/N - Please enjoy!**

**Just a friendly reminder that I don't know if you like what I'm writing unless you tell me. **

**Thanks for reading!**

**Cheers,**

**I. Goddess.  
**


	21. Chapter 21

It wasn't until a couple weeks later, that everything had really gotten back to normal.

We were back at the school now, and of course, we were the fresh gossip. Most of it wasn't true. I'd even heard something about how Victor had made some sort of monster that he was going to set loose on the world if he didn't get Lissa's baby.

None of us cared to talk about it with anyone else, but there were a few people who had worked it out. Everyone knew that Lissa was pregnant with Christian's baby now, but that was bound to get out sooner or later. She seemed happy about it, even a little bit excited. I had the feeling Christian was excited too, but was better able to keep himself restrained. These were tense times though. They were only a couple weeks into the pregnancy, so I hope they didn't lose it.

"Fancy meeting you here, little dhampir."

Adrian and Dawn were coming up behind me hand-in-hand. This was new. I looked pointedly at their entwined hands. Dawn blushed, but beamed at me. We'd become pretty good friends since she started at St. Vladimirs.

Adrian smirked. "Out of nowhere, the school decided that I needed to be protected or something if I'm going to stay here. They had an new extra student anyways, so," he held up their hands, "I'm stuck with her."

I laughed. "Right. And that's why you're holding hands. You don't see Christian and I walking around holding hands do you?"

"She didn't want to lose me, since I'm always find ways of getting myself into trouble. Christian and Lissa just sit around gushing all day. I know where the real danger is."

He wiggled his eyebrows at Dawn, who rolled her eyes. "You're nothing I can't handle," she said.

Adrian grinned. "You want to handle me?"

"And I'm going to be going now," I interrupted, before things got too far. "I don't want to be here when she kicks your ass."

Adrian put his arm around Dawn, and smiled. "I'd don't think I'd mind that."

I held up my hands. "Enough! Just let me get out of ear shot before you start anything!"

I started running. I was glad they were together. They were both happy, and after everything that had happened to both of them in their lives, they deserved some happy.

I found Lissa, Christian and Finn in the library where they were waiting for me. Just like everyday, we were spending it together, because of the whole guarding thing.

"And she finally shows," Christian said. "I was beginning to wonder if you wanted me to get kidnapped by some fake guardians."

I raised my eyebrows. "You were only beginning to wonder?"

"Have you seen Dawn around?" Finn asked me.

"Yeah, I saw her with Adrian a couple of minutes ago in the hallway," I replied.

Finn frowned. "What's she doing with Adrian?"

Uh-oh. He hasn't heard yet. "Well," I started. "She's guarding him now…"

His face relaxed. "She wanted to start guarding again. She just wants to get past the Radimir thing. If that's all."

I coughed awkwardly. "Right. The thing is…" I tried to come up with the right way to tell him that his sister was guarding and dating someone. Then I realized there was no right way. "Dawn and Adrian are dating."

"What?!"

Lissa and Christian were nodding. They were expecting it to happen any day now as much as I was. Finn, on the other hand, hadn't been warned.

"I'll give him a piece of my mind," Finn said, pushing back his chair, and heading for the door.

I grabbed his arm and pulled him to a stop. "You can't do that. I won't let you."

"He's done something to my sister! Adrian doesn't deserve her. She would never date a guy like him on her own."

"She would and she is," I snarled. His eyes widened in surprise. "Sorry, but you're making a big deal out of nothing. Adrian is a great guy, and you're lucky she's with him and not some moron."

"I can't believe she didn't even ask me about him though," he said.

"Do you need to give her permission for everything she does? You're twins for God's sake! You don't get to tell her what to do!" I shouted at him.

"Rose? Maybe you should keep it a little quieter," Lissa said. "People are starting to stare."

"Adrian may be a bit of a troublemaker, but he would never hurt your sister," I told him quietly.

Finn sighed. "Fine. I'll leave it alone."

I hadn't realized that we'd gathered a crowd, but looking around now, I saw that there were quite a few people here, and most of them if not all of them were talking about Adrian and Dawn.

I also saw Dimitri standing in the doorway, smiling at me slightly. He beckoned me over, but I shook my head. When he frowned I pointed at Christian and shrugged my shoulders, teasingly. He rolled his eyes, and gave me a look. I grinned and made my way over to him.

"If Christian gets mugged or something, it's all on your shoulders," I teased, but I stood in a position where I could still see him clearly.

Dimitri nodded his approval. "How's your stomach today?"

"Fine," I told him. I lifted up my shirt so that he could see. "See look, there's practically no bruise left."

He looked away. "Rose, you can't just show me your stomach in public like that."

"Oh come on!" I said, exasperated. "No one's even paying attention to us."

"But what if they were?"

"They would have seen you checking to make sure I was feeling okay today. But now, since you looked away, I'm sure they suspect something."

He blinked. "You're right, I'm sure no one's even paying attention to us."

I grinned at him. "I win."

He sighed, and crossed his arms. That was a signal for a change in subject.

"By the way, did the guardians go through all of Taylor's stuff yet?" I asked casually.

"Not all of it," Dimitri said suspiciously. "There are some papers and books that still have to be sorted."

"I need a favor," I said.

"I'll try to do it."

"I need you to get all of Taylor's stuff that has anything to do with being shadow-kissed, or a spirit user, and bring it to me."

He started to shake his head. "Rose, I can't just take his stuff."

"Why not?" I asked. "He's dead."

He sighed. "It's not that easy. The guardians might need it for something. I can't just take anything I want to. It's not a free-for-all."

"Okay. But if you can take it, could you get it for me?"

He nodded. "Yes. I'll do that."

We stood in silence for a minute before I said, "Don't you want to know why I want it?"

"Of course," he replied. "But I don't want you to feel the need to tell me."

"I think I'm shadow-kissed," I told him. "Lissa brought me back from the dead a long time ago, almost killing herself. That's how we got our bond. I've been trying to do some research on it to figure out what else it does, but I haven't been able to find anything out."

He looked like he wanted to ask a million questions. Instead he nodded. "I can see why you're interested. I'll do my best."

I guess he knew I wouldn't have any of the answers.

* * *

**A/N - Hope you liked it! **

**Everything is coming together nicely, I think!**

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**I. Goddess.  
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	22. Chapter 22

The next afternoon, Dimitri came back to see me.

"I'm taking you to Taylor's house."

"Did you get the papers and books?" I asked, excitedly.

His face fell a little bit. "I'm sorry, Rose. They had already taken them away by the time I got to ask about them. I wasn't even allowed to know where they were sending them. It was top secret information."

I nodded, but I almost felt sick with disappointment. "I understand. You tried." I started to walk away.

"Wait!" he called. "I'm still taking you to Taylor's house, remember?"

I frowned. "For what? I'm still doing my training," I said, gesturing at Christian, who was with Lissa again in the library. "I can't just leave and go to England in the middle of the day."

That was probably the most responsible thing I've ever said in my entire life. And also the stupidest! Dimitri was taking me for some extra special guardian training at Taylor's house, and I was arguing with him!

"I've set it all up. You have special permission to visit the house with me for two days, not including travelling time. We have to be at the airport in a couple of hours, so if your coming I'd go pack now."

I didn't really understand what was happening, but I ran off to my room to pack some clothes.

Considering I didn't know what I was supposed to be packing, I think I made pretty good time. I dragged my bag to Dimitri's room, knocked on the door, and he opened it.

"I'm ready when you are," I grinned at him.

* * *

Compared to the last time I'd taken this plane ride, it didn't seem to be taking quite so long. It was probably because Lissa wasn't in danger this time. This time I could sit back, relax, and finally spend some time with Dimitri. It wouldn't even have to be about strength or fighting, just a nice, personal conversation. At least until we touched down in Liverpool anyways.

"So, what is it exactly that we're doing at Taylor's?" I asked.

A good start to a nice, personal conversation.

"I wanted to teach you more about strategy, and getting into places."

I nodded. "Right."

I tapped out a beat on the armrest of my chair, trying to come up with a better question, but as it turns out I didn't have to.

"Rose, I want to make sure you know that you mean the world to me."

As usual, my heart turned the pounding up a notch. "You mean the world to me, too."

He looked me right in the eyes. "Why? What is it about me that you're attracted to?"

I tried to swallow, but my mouth had gone dry. "Well, you're smart, and you have a good sense of humour. You know when to be polite and when to take charge. You make me feel important just by talking to me. When I'm next to you, I can't think straight because you smell so good. And you are very good-looking. I feel something heavy lift inside me every single time you smile, no matter how big or how small," I finished.

He looked at me, trying to decide what to make of it. I didn't know what to expect, and I started fidgeting in my chair. His was the only opinion I truly cared about.

I started tapping out the beat again. His silence was making me nervous. All I wanted was a thumbs up or some other sign to know that I wasn't a complete idiot.

He looked curiously at my tapping hand. I quickly make a fist.

"I'm sorry! Do you want me to stop?"

He shook his head. "Do it again."

I hesitated, then proceeded to tap out the rhythm again. It wasn't complicated.

Dum, dum dum. Dum, dum dum.

Slowly but surely, Dimitri's face changed from ponderous to wondrous. He reached out a took my other hand, and I stopped automatically.

"No, don't stop."

I picked up the beat again. He shook his head in amazement, and then placed my hand on his chest. I stopped breathing for a minute, but never stopped the beating.

"What am I supposed to do?" I asked uncertainly.

"Feel," was all he said.

I closed my eyes, and felt that underneath my hand, his heart was beating exactly in time with my finger. I was tapping out his heartbeat!

I pulled my hands away in disbelief.

He grinned at me. "Even when you stopped, you came right back in with it. How do you do it?"

I frowned. How did I do it?

"There's a legend back home," Dimitri said quietly. "A young man, Pavel, worked as a blacksmith for a very rich and noble family. The eldest daughter of the family, Marina, came down to his workshop everyday, baring gifts of food. She would spend time with Pavel as he worked, and they soon became fast friends.

"It did not take long for them to fall in love, and wish to be married. But when Marina asked for her father's blessing, the nobleman was outraged. 'My daughter marry a blacksmith?' he demanded. 'I think not.'

"Pavel was devastated. He didn't know how to persuade his employer, and being the gentleman he was, would not marry Marina without the blessing of her father. Marina, on the other hand, had expected her father's disapproval and was not without a second plan.

"'Father,' she said. 'If I can prove to you that Pavel and I are soul mates, would you let us be wed?' The nobleman roared with laughter. His daughter and this plebeian soul mates? He was sure she would fail, so he agreed to her demand.

"'Father, I need you to place your hand on Pavel's heart.' Frowning, the nobleman did as she said. 'I am going to clap out his heartbeat.' Low and behold, Marina began to clap, exactly in time with Pavel's heartbeat. Even when his heart quickened from excitement at her triumph, she continued to match every beat.

"Her father, amazed and impressed by her actions, gave the couple his blessing as he had agreed to. The couple were married, and they lived happily together."

I gaped. "So are you implying that we're…?"

He looked at the floor. "It's just a legend."

I sat back in my seat. Of course. Just a legend.

* * *

**A/N - Another chapter come and gone.**

**Thanks again for reading! I appreciate every one of you!**

**Cheers,**

**I. Goddess.  
**


	23. Chapter 23

We landed in Liverpool at midnight and I was exhausted. I don't know why travelling took so much energy out of you, because all you really had to do was sit on a plane and wait.

Dimitri had rented a sleek black car because he refused to be driven around by people. I figured it was a guy thing, and didn't push it. To anyone else he would seem completely at ease, but I saw the tightness in his lips and knew that he was anxious about something.

"Are we going to the hotel now?" I asked, stifling a yawn.

The corner of his mouth twitched. "Yes. We're almost there."

I nodded and rested my head back against my seat. The car smelled new, and looked expensive enough to buy a small house.

"So I guess this strategy stuff I'm going to be learning is important, is it? I mean the Academy wouldn't let us go if it wasn't, right?"

"I would say it's important. I don't know that the Academy feels that strongly about us leaving, though."

I frowned. "Why not?"

"They approve of the strategy, but they're losing us for a couple of days. We're some of the best guardians they have. And we're the ones who protect Lissa."

I blushed. "But I'm still in school. There's no way I'm better than the teachers."

"Rose, why would they let you come with us when we were trying to find Lissa if you

weren't one of the best? The only reason they were a little apprehensive was because you

were still in school."

I was awed. I couldn't believe they thought that highly of me.

"But don't go around bragging about it. If you get cocky, the teachers won't be so partial towards you."

I closed an invisible zipper over my mouth, locked my mouth and threw away the key.

When we pulled up to the hotel, I let out a little gasp in spite of myself. It was called 62 Castle Street, and it looked incredible. It was Victorian style building that had light flowing from every window.

"The Academy paid for this place?" I exclaimed.

Dimitri chuckled, and handed the keys over to the valet so he could park the car. "Not exactly."

I hardly heard his reply. As Dimitri checked us in, I spent most of my time gawking at the modern interior. It had surprised me. I thought they would play with the old building look, but instead they chose something that contradicted it.

"How can the academy afford something like this?" I asked him as we headed up a beautiful staircase and down the hall to our room.

He took a deep breath. "The academy isn't paying for this."

I frowned. "They're not?"

"No," he replied. "They're paying for a room in the hotel we were staying in before."

My frown deepened. "Well then what are we doing here?"

Dimitri opened the door to our room and motioned for me to go in first. I took an hesitant step inside, and was taken by surprise yet again. The room was glorious. There was a full set of a mauve-like leather furniture and a flat screen TV hung from the wall. The windows were lined with brown curtains that had an interesting design. And best of all, there was a red accented wall behind **one** king sized bed.

Then I realized what was happening.

"Remember when I promised you that I would take you out? A date? Just the two of us?"

My eyes started to water. "How could I forget?"

"Everyone back at St. Vladmir's thinks I'm teaching you something that will help you become a better guardian. They paid for the other hotel thinking we were going to stay there, because it's the closest hotel to Taylor's house. I'm paying for this hotel, and for the next two days we get to spend together. This was the best chance I was going to get to go anywhere with you. You deserve this, Roza."

I didn't know what to say. Instead, I jumped into his arms. He caught me, but he was clearly surprised. I laughed, and kissed him enthusiastically. It took him a moment for him to realize that I was happy with the arrangement. He started kissing me back and walked up the stairs to the one king bed.

Our bed.

He set me down, and as soon as I hit it, a wave of pure fatigue rolled over me. I almost passed out from the suddenness of it.

I started to actually contemplate passing out, just so I could sleep, when I felt Dimitri press his body close to mine.

"Sleep, love," he told me. "We have another night together. Waiting one more night will not kill us."

I gave him one last kiss before succumbing to the dreams that were calling my name.

* * *

When I woke up the next morning feeling very good. I had the best night sleep I think I've ever had. Whether that was because of the fact that the bed was the most comfortable thing I've ever sat on, or because I had the most wonderful dream of Dimitri, I'm not sure.

I closed my eyes again and sprawled out on the huge bed. I couldn't touch the edges, even when I was stretching out.

"Roza?"

I opened one eye. Dimitri was climbing into bed beside me. I moved over, and then snuggled in close to him.

"How was your sleep?" he asked.

"Perfect."

"Glad to hear it."

I tucked my head under his chin, and he put his arm around me, and we just laid there in silence, enjoying the moment. He rubbed my arm lightly and nuzzled me with his chin. It seemed so easy and natural, even though technically we weren't allowed to do this. For once it wasn't just me breaking the rules. Now I had a partner in crime.

"Are you up to taking a day out and about? Or would you rather stay in?" Dimitri asked. "I have a few things in mind if you want to go out."

I looked at the alarm clock on the table beside the bed. It was already eleven o'clock. It had been a long time since I was able to sleep in, so it took me off guard.

"Give me a half an hour."

* * *

**A/N - I think some people have been waiting for this!**

**Thanks for reading! There's more Rose/Dimitri to come!**

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**I. Goddess.  
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